The Choice
by Zanessalover576
Summary: Troy and Gabriella had been dating for four years. They were currently juniors in high school. What will happen when Gabriella finds out that she is pregnant? Will Troy commit to her and the baby? Will their families support them?
1. My Choice

Troy unlocked the front door and walked into the house after getting out of school. He walked upstairs and shut and locked his bedroom door. Troy laid down on his bed and sighed. Gabriella, his girlfriend, of four years, just found out that she was pregnant and had told him the news that day. He was going to be a father at seventeen. Gabriella had cried when she told him. He ruined their lives and Gabriella's chance at going to Stanford, her dream school. Tears ran down Troy's face when he thought of Gabriella's expression when she realized it. He was pulled out of his thoughts when their was a knock on his bedroom door.

"Troy, let's a game going? We need to make a game plan" Jack said.

"I'm not in the mood" Troy said turning over.

"What's going on?" Jack asked.

"I have to wait until mom comes home to tell you" Troy said.

"Did you fail-" Jack started.

"Dad! Wait until mom comes home" Troy said adamantly.

"Okay" Jack said.

An hour later, Lucille Bolton, came through the door and saw Troy sitting in the living room with his eyes closed.

"Troy, are you okay?" Lucille asked.

"I need to talk to you and dad" Troy said nervously.

"Okay, let me go get him" Lucille said.

Lucille left the room to go get her husband. Troy took a deep breath in and released it. Lucille and Jack came into the room and sat on the love seat across from their son.

"What's going on Troy?" Lucille asked.

"I need to tell you both something, but I don't know if I have enough words to say it" Troy started.

"Honey, whatever is bothering you, you know that you can always talk to us about it" Lucille said.

Troy released the breath that he was holding.

"Gabriella..." Troy started but couldn't finish.

"What's wrong with Gabi?" Lucille asked.

Troy swallowed hard and tears came to his eyes.

"Gabriella is pregnant" Troy said.

Lucille gasped. Jack looked down at his feet. Troy sighed in relief that he got the news off his chest.

"Is it yours?" Jack asked trying to control his anger.

"Yes" Troy said.

"Troy" Lucille said quietly.

Jack got up and walked out of the room and went into the master bedroom and slammed the door.

"I know this is my fault. I am going to support Gabriella and the baby. I will get a job" Troy started.

"I think that your dad and I need some time to think right now" Lucille said.

"I don't want you to hate me" Troy said.

"We would never hate either of you Troy. We are disappointed in the choices you made" Lucille said.

Troy nodded.

"And I know that you are scared out of your mind and it is well deserved that you are. But that doesn't mean that we don't care about you" Lucille said.

Troy nodded.

"I'm going to go to Gabriella's. She is telling her parents now as well" Troy said.

Lucille nodded.

"I'm sorry mom" Troy said.

"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to Gabriella and yourself. Tell Maria that I will call her later" Lucille said.

Troy nodded and left the house. He drove down the street to Gabriella's and parked his car. Troy took a deep breath and released it. He got out of the car and walked to the front door that he knew so well. Troy rang the doorbell and Maria opened the door.

"Troy" Maria said with tears running down her face.

Troy couldn't help but release his own tears.

"I'm sorry mom. I'm so so sorry" Troy cried.

Maria opened her arms and Troy walked into them. Troy repeatedly apologized and Maria rubbed her "son's" back.

"Where's my girl?" Troy asked sniffling and wiping his tears away.

"She's in her bedroom" Maria said.

"Is she okay?" Troy asked.

"She's sobbing. Troy, you both aren't going to get off easy. You are going to have to step up" Maria said.

"And I plan to" Troy said.

"Okay. Just so we are clear" Maria said.

"Can I go up and see her?" Troy asked carefully.

Maria nodded.

"Go ahead" Maria said.

Troy walked into the house and went upstairs to Gabriella's room. Her door was shut and he could hear Gabriella sobbing uncontrollably. Troy thought it would be best if he knocked instead of just walked into the room. He knocked lightly. Troy could hear Gabriella's feet coming closer to the door.

"Mami, I don't want to talk" Gabriella cried.

"Baby, it's me" Troy said.

"Troy?" Gabriella clarified.

"Yes sweetheart. I'm here. Can I come in?" Troy asked.

"Is mom with you?" Gabriella asked.

"No. It's just me" Troy said.

Gabriella opened the door slowly and saw Troy standing in front of her door. She ran into her boyfriend's arms and cried. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly. He closed Gabriella's bedroom door with his foot and walked with Gabriella in his arms to her bed and placed her on it.

"We need to talk about this" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I'm so sorry Troy. Your scholarship-" Gabriella started.

"Hey, let's not talk about that right now. We need to talk about what we are going to do" Troy said softly.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"Do you want to keep it?" Troy asked carefully.

"As much as I hate that this is happening now, I want to. I don't want to have an abortion or give it up" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you had an abortion" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"We both need to find jobs as soon as possible and start saving money" Troy said.

"I agree" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at his girlfriend and could see that she was scared to death.

"Baby" Troy said softly.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"You know that I'm always going to be here for you and the baby right?" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy and tears ran down her face. Troy took Gabriella into his arms and let her cry. He rubbed her back soothingly and inhaled the fruity scent of her hair. Twenty minutes later, Gabriella's cries turned into sniffling, which then turned into silence. The couple sat in each other's arms thinking about their future.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

"Look at me Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy, whose eyes were also red, from crying, like her own.

"We are going to get through this" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. There was a knock on the door and Maria poked her head in.

"Gabi, I made you an appointment with Dr. Brand for tomorrow morning" Maria said.

"Who's Dr. Brand?" Troy asked.

"Gynecologist" Maria said simply.

Troy nodded.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Troy asked looking at Gabriella.

Gabriella nodded.

"If you want, I can take Gabs to Dr. Brand's tomorrow mom. I don't want you to have to take a day off work for my mistake" Troy said.

Maria smiled slightly.

"Are you sure Troy? This will be your first time at an appointment like this. Do you think you are going to be alright?" Maria asked.

"We are going through this together. I am going to be there for Gabriella whenever she needs me and right now, I think she needs me more than ever" Troy said.

Maria nodded.

"Okay. Thank you Troy" Maria said.

"No problem" Troy said.

Maria left the room. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Do you need me to do anything?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Tell mom and dad that I'm sorry" Gabriella said.

"I will baby. How about you take a nice hot shower? It will relax you a little bit and help keep your mind off this nightmare" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips softly.

"Will you still be here when I get out?" Gabriella asked.

"If you want me to" Troy said.

"I want you to" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Gabriella walked into her bathroom that was connected to her room and closed the door. Troy heard the shower turn on and sighed. Twenty minutes later, Gabriella emerged from the bathroom and was dressed in one of Troy's t-shirts and basketball shorts that she had stolen from his house after she had slept over.

"Feel a little better?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. She walked over to Troy and wrapped her arms around him. Troy put his hand on the small of Gabriella's back. He kissed her shoulder softly.

"Why don't you take a nap? You have had a crazy day" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She got into bed and Troy tucked her in. He kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you. I'll be here tomorrow morning to pick you up for your appointment okay?" Troy said.

"Okay. I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips one last time. He then looked at Gabriella's stomach and kissed her bellybutton.

"I love you too baby" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Get some sleep sweetheart" Troy said.

"Apologize to your parents for me Troy" Gabriella repeated.

"I will" Troy said.

Troy left the house and drove home. He walked into the house and saw his mother in the kitchen.

"Troy?" Lucille called.

Troy walked into the kitchen.

"Yes mom?" Troy asked.

"How is Gabi?" Lucille asked.

"Before or after she sobbed in my arms?" Troy asked.

"She's going to be like that for a while, Troy. She's the one with a baby living inside of her" Lucille said.

Troy nodded.

"She has a doctor's appointment tomorrow that I need to take her to. Maria couldn't get the day off so I am going to take her" Troy said.

"Okay. Do you need me to go with you? I will if you want" Lucille said.

"I think that we should do this on our own. Gabs is nervous and I don't think she wants you to see her just after we found out. She needs time" Troy said.

"Alright" Lucille said.

"It's not that she doesn't want you to go, I just think she doesn't know what to expect and neither do I. We want to see how this goes by ourselves" Troy said.

"I understand Troy" Lucille said.

"Is dad still angry?" Troy asked.

"He is upstairs still but he has calmed down a little bit" Lucille said.

"Should I go and try to talk to him?" Troy asked.

"Try it and see what happens" Lucille said.

Troy nodded. He walked out of the kitchen and went upstairs. Troy saw his father in his office watching old basketball games. He cleared his throat and knocked on the door. Jack turned around and looked at Troy.

"Dad-" Troy started.

"Sit down. We need to talk" Jack said.

Troy sat down in the chair that was in front of the desk.

"Troy, do you understand that this can affect your future? You may not be able to play basketball because of a baby" Jack said.

"Gabriella and the baby are my future, dad. I've already made that commitment" Troy said.

"You need to go to school too. Your scholarship isn't awarded very often" Jack said.

Troy took a deep breath.

"Screw the scholarship! I'm having a child dad. My future is Gabriella and the baby" Troy said.

"If you don't go to school, you need to move out" Jack said.

"Fine. I'll have my stuff out by the end of the day. Thanks for your help" Troy said dryly.

Troy left the office and went into his bedroom and pulled out a suitcase and started packing. Lucille came into the room and looked at her son confused.

"What are you doing?" Lucille asked.

"He told me that if I don't take the scholarship that I need to move out. I'm not taking the scholarship, so I am moving out" Troy said.

"Where are you going?" Lucille asked as she watched her son pack his things.

"I don't know. Probably with Chad because I know that Maria probably won't let me stay in the house overnight anymore" Troy said.

Troy finished packing his things and walked to the front door.

"Call me and tell me you are safe please" Lucille said.

"I will" Troy said.

Troy left the house and drove to Gabriella's. He climbed onto the balcony and let himself into Gabriella's bedroom, where he saw her sitting up in bed.

"Hey baby. Did you sleep a little?" Troy asked.

"A little bit" Gabriella said.

"Dad kicked me out" Troy said.

Gabriella's eyes widened.

"Troy" Gabriella said.

"He told me that if I didn't take my scholarship to U of A then I have to move out. So, I moved out" Troy explained.

"What did mom say?" Gabriella asked.

"She didn't say a lot but she knows that I'm here or at Chad's. But I told her that I was only going to stay here if your mom allowed me to" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"You are the father of my child and the love of my life. If she doesn't let you stay, I will move out too" Gabriella said.

"Where would we stay if we both moved out Brie?" Troy asked.

"The tree house" Gabriella said nonchalantly.

Troy laughed.

"Very funny. As a pregnant woman, you are very funny" Troy said.

"I need some laughter after all of this drama today" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Why don't you get some sleep and I will go talk to mom alright?" Troy said.

"Okay, if you need me, wake me up" Gabriella said.

"I will" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips softly.

Troy walked out of Gabriella's bedroom and closed it quietly. He then walked downstairs to the kitchen and saw Maria sitting at the kitchen island on her computer.

"Am I interrupting?" Troy asked making himself known.

Maria looked up and smiled at Troy.

"No, you aren't. Sit down" Maria said.

Troy sat down at the island and looked at his second mother.

"I don't know how to express how sorry I am mom. I used protection and everything, but the condom broke" Troy said.

"I understand Troy and I don't hate you either" Maria said.

Troy looked at Maria.

"Your mom called and talked to me for a while" Maria said answering the question that he was thinking.

"I just want you both to understand what you are getting into" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"I know" Troy said.

Troy and Maria heard Gabriella call Troy's name.

"I will go see what's going on" Troy said.

Maria nodded. Troy jogged up the stairs and went into Gabriella's room.

"What's the matter baby?" Troy asked.

"Did you ask?" Gabriella asked.

"Didn't get that far. Let me go ask" Troy said.

"And come to bed after" Gabriella said.

"I will" Troy said.

Troy walked downstairs and Maria looked up.

"She's okay. My dad kicked me out" Troy said.

"He did?" Maria asked.

Troy nodded.

"Gabriella and I wanted to know if I could stay here so I would be close in case something happened. If you don't feel comfortable with it, I will stay at Chad's" Troy said.

"You can stay here Troy. But there is going to be rules" Maria said.

"That's fine. What are they?" Troy asked.

"No sexual activities in this house. I know that Gabi is pregnant already, but I don't want it in my house" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"Use the front door if you are coming home late" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"And that's all I ask" Maria said.

"Got it" Troy said.

"Alright. Goodnight, Troy" Maria said.

"Good night mom. I love you" Troy said.

Maria smiled.

"I love you too" Maria said.

Troy walked upstairs and went into Gabriella's bedroom. She sat up and looked at her boyfriend. Troy closed the door and took his shirt off and climbed into bed.

"What did she say?" Gabriella asked.

"She said that I can stay but there are rules" Troy said.

"What are the rules?" Gabriella asked.

"No sex in the house and I have to use the front door after practice or if I am coming home late" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"You really should get some sleep" Troy said.

"Now I will be able to" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"Night baby. I love you. If you need anything, wake me up" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Night wildcat. I love you too" Gabriella said.

The couple fell asleep in each other's arms and hoped that Gabriella's appointment the following day would go smoothly.


	2. The Appointment

The next morning, Gabriella woke up feeling nauseous. She sat up in bed and tried to figure out what was going on, but instantly started running to the bathroom and shutting the door behind her. Gabriella sat in front of the toilet and held her hair back and regurgitated the remains of her stomach into the porcelain bowl. As she regurgitated, Gabriella felt another hand hold her hair back and a kiss being placed on her head. Once she finished, Gabriella flushed the toilet and sat against the tub, not looking at or knowing who had held her hair back.

"You okay baby?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head. She looked at her boyfriend with tears in her eyes. Troy sat down on floor next to Gabriella.

"I'm pregnant with your baby" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He kissed her head softly.

"Is there anything you want me to do?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head. The couple sat in silence for a couple minutes until Troy broke it.

"We need to get ready to go see Dr. Brand" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Are you scared?" Gabriella asked softly.

"I'm petrified. But, I know that I will never be as scared as you" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Come on, wash your face and brush your teeth. I'll be downstairs if you need me okay?" Troy said.

"Wait" Gabriella said.

Troy watched Gabriella get up and brush her teeth. Gabriella then walked over to Troy and kissed his lips softly.

"Good morning" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"Good morning baby. We need to get going. We have to be there in an hour" Troy said looking at his phone.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy left the room and walked downstairs and saw Maria in the kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee.

"Good morning Troy" Maria said.

"Morning mom" Troy said.

"How's Gabi doing this morning?" Maria asked.

"She threw up, but she is feeling better" Troy said.

"Morning sickness has started. If she still feels sick, there is some chamomile tea in the cabinet that will help with the nausea" Maria said.

"Okay, thanks" Troy said.

"I have to run to work. But, let me know how it goes at Dr. Brand's" Maria said.

"I will" Troy said.

"Love you Troy" Maria said.

"Love you too mom" Troy said.

Maria left the house. Twenty minutes later, Gabriella came downstairs and saw Troy sitting at the kitchen table with two bowls of cereal and two glasses of orange juice.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Better. Morning sickness has started I guess" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Mom just left. She said that if you weren't feeling better that there was chamomile tea in the cabinet that will help with nausea" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She sat down and the couple ate in silence. After they finished, they put their plate ware in the dishwasher.

"You ready to go?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said nervously.

"Don't worry baby girl. I'll be with you the whole time" Troy said.

"It's just scary" Gabriella said.

"I know it is" Troy said.

The couple left the house and drove to Dr. Brand's office. Gabriella had to fill out some forms since she had never been to this office before. After she finished, Gabriella sat next to Troy and entwined their fingers together. Troy rubbed Gabriella's thumb, which was shaking, with his own. He kissed it gently. A nurse came into the room with a file and looked at the patients that were waiting in the room.

"Gabriella Montez?" the nurse called.

Troy and Gabriella stood up and walked towards the nurse. She then escorted them into a room where Gabriella's blood pressure, temperature, height, and weight were taken. The couple was then escorted into an exam room.

"Gabriella, please change into this gown. Take your bra and underwear off and Dr. Brand will be in shortly" the nurse said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

The nurse left the room.

"Do you want me to step out while you change?" Troy asked.

"We've been together for almost five years Troy. You've seen me naked thousands of times" Gabriella said.

"I just want to make you feel comfortable, that's all" Troy said.

"I know and thanks for asking" Gabriella said.

Gabriella changed into the gown and sat on the exam table. Troy took Gabriella's hand in his and could feel it shaking. There was a knock on the door and Dr. Brand, who had long, dark brown hair came into the room.

"Hi Gabriella, who is this?" Dr. Brand asked.

"This is my boyfriend, Troy" Gabriella said.

"Hi Troy" Dr. Brand said.

"Hi" Troy said.

"Gabriella, it says here that you took a pregnancy test and it came out positive" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella nodded.

"My mom wanted to know how far along I was" Gabriella said.

Dr. Brand nodded.

"Okay, let's take a look" Dr. Brand said.

Dr. Brand washed her hands and turned on the ultrasound. She lifted Gabriella's gown above her bellybutton. Dr. Brand sensed that Gabriella was scared to death and put her hand on her shoulder.

"Gabriella, I know that you are scared and that's completely normal. If I make you feel uncomfortable, let me know okay?" Dr. Brand said sweetly.

Gabriella nodded. Troy looked at Gabriella and kissed her head softly. Once the ultrasound had heated, Dr. Brand picked up a bottle of gel.

"This might be a little cold" Dr. Brand said.

Dr. Brand squeezed some of the product onto Gabriella's stomach. Gabriella flinched at the temperature but then relaxed, once it set into her skin. Dr. Brand put the gel bottle back in it's place and then picked up the wand that was connected to the ultrasound.

"Alright, are you ready?" Dr. Brand asked.

Gabriella looked at Troy, who smiled at her and nodded.

"We're ready" Gabriella said.

Dr. Brand placed the wand on Gabriella's stomach and started moving the gel around with it. She looked at the monitor and pointed to it.

"See that dot? That's your baby" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella and Troy looked at the monitor and they both choked up. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly and wiped her tears away. Dr. Brand moved the wand around Gabriela's stomach.

"You are about five weeks along" Dr. Brand said.

"That's early" Gabriella said.

Dr. Brand nodded.

"Daddy, what do you think?" Dr. Brand asked.

Troy smiled and looked at the monitor.

"It makes it feel more real to see a picture" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded in agreement.

"Let me go print these pictures for you and I will be back okay?" Dr. Brand said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Dr. Brand left the room. Gabriella looked at her boyfriend and saw tears running down his cheeks. She quickly wiped them away.

"I'm supposed to be the strong one in this" Troy said sniffling.

Gabriella smiled and leaned over and kissed Troy's lips.

"Not always. I love you Troy" Gabriella said.

"I love you too baby. So much. You are so brave" Troy said smoothing her hair back.

Gabriella smiled as tears ran down her cheeks.

"I don't even know why I'm crying" Gabriella said wiping her tears away.

"It's overwhelming" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. There was a knock on the door and Dr. Brand came back into the room.

"Alright Gabriella, I need to examine you. Troy, do you want to stay or wait in the hall?" Dr. Brand asked.

Gabriella tightened her grip on her boyfriend.

"He's staying" Gabriella said answering for Troy.

Troy smiled. Gabriella looked up at Troy.

"Sorry, but you are" Gabriella said.

"I wanted to anyway" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Okay Gabriella, I'm going to have you spread your legs apart" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella spread her legs apart and took a deep, shaky breath.

"It's okay baby girl. Just relax" Troy said.

"This was the part I was dreading" Gabriella mumbled.

"I'm right here babe" Troy said.

Dr. Brand put on a fresh pair of gloves and looked at Gabriella.

"Gabriella, I need you to take a big deep breath in for me" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella took a deep breath in, like how Dr. Brand instructed her to do and so did Troy. A moment later, she groaned and tightened her grip on Troy.

"Gabriella, just relax honey. I need to check and make sure everything looks okay" Dr. Brand said.

Troy looked at Gabriella, who was fighting tears of fear.

"Baby, just look at me" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy. Troy helped Gabriella take deep breaths like how Dr. Brand had told her to do. A couple moments later, Dr. Brand looked up and threw her gloves away.

"Everything looks fine, Gabriella. Here is a prescription for prenatal vitamins that should be taken everyday and I'll see you next month. Call me if you have any questions" Dr. Brand said handing the prescription to Troy.

"Thank you Dr. Brand" the couple said.

Dr. Brand left the room. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

"That was so uncomfortable" Gabriella said sitting up.

"Sorry sweetheart. She needed to check you out" Troy said.

Gabriella changed back into her clothes and the couple went to the pharmacy that was in the medical complex and got Gabriella's prenatal vitamins. The couple then drove home.

"How are you feeling after that?" Troy asked.

"Pregnancy is scary" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I wasn't expecting that at all. I just thought that she was going to do an ultrasound and that was it" Troy said.

"Yeah, me too. Can we go by your house? I want to see mom" Gabriella said.

"Sure baby" Troy said.

"Thanks" Gabriella said.

Troy drove to his house and parked the car in the driveway. The couple got out of the car and walked into the house.

"Mom?" Gabriella called.

"In the kitchen, sweetheart" Lucille said.

Gabriella walked into the kitchen and was engulfed into a hug from her second mother.

"We went to the doctor today" Gabriella said.

"Oh? How did it go?" Lucille asked.

"We have pictures" Gabriella said.

"Let me see" Lucille said.

Gabriella handed the sonogram to Lucille. Lucille looked at the sonogram and smiled.

"How far along are you?" Lucille asked.

"Five weeks" Gabriella said.

Lucille hugged Gabriella again and kissed her cheek softly.

"If you need anything, let me know okay?" Lucille said.

Gabriella nodded and tears ran down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused mom. I'm so so sorry" Gabriella said.

Lucille motioned for Troy to leave the room so the two women could have some time to talk. Troy left the room. Lucille pulled away and sat down at the kitchen island and patted the stool that was next to her. Gabriella sat down.

"Gabi, you know that I love you honey. This was just a huge shock and a responsibility that we didn't want either you or Troy to have to face as a teenager" Lucille explained.

Gabriella nodded.

"I ruined his future mom. I ruined it" Gabriella cried.

"Sweetheart, he ruined it himself. This was both of your doing" Lucille said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it.

"Is coach here?" Gabriella asked.

Lucille nodded.

"I want to talk to him" Gabriella said.

Lucille nodded, knowing their was no way of changing Gabriella's mind. Gabriella kissed Lucille's cheek.

"I love you mom" Gabriella said.

"I love you too sweetheart" Lucille said.

Gabriella walked upstairs to Jack's office and knocked on the door, that was open. Jack looked up and sighed. Gabriella's eyes filled with tears.

"Dad, I'm so so sorry" Gabriella cried.

Jack's eyes softened as he watched his "daughter" cry. He stood up and motioned for her to come closer. Jack hugged Gabriella and let her cry in his arms. Once Gabriella had calmed down, she looked at Jack.

"Dad, about Troy and him moving out" Gabriella started.

"Gabi, he made a choice. I'm not saying that it was bad choice. But, he's not going to go to school" Jack said.

"Neither am I. I probably won't have a chance, but Troy will. Maybe, by the time that we were supposed to start our sophomore year in college, he can start his freshman year. Just to make sure we are stable" Gabriella said.

"It's not going to be easy" Jack said.

"I know it's not. But, you always told us to fight for what we want. Well, this is what Troy wants. Troy wants to commit to the baby and I. In the future, he may go to U of A, but right now he has priorities" Gabriella said.

Jack sighed.

"I just need time, Gabi" Jack said.

"I understand. We had a doctor's appointment today and I had an ultrasound done. The pictures are downstairs with mom" Gabriella said.

Jack nodded. Gabriella got up and started walking out of the room when Jack called her name.

"Gabriella" Jack said.

Gabriella looked at Jack.

"I love you and you will always be my daughter that I never had. I just need time to process it okay?" Jack said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Gabriella walked downstairs and saw Troy talking to Lucille. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Did you talk to him?" Lucille asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"You talked to dad?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"What did he say?" Troy asked.

"I told him that you will probably have to start school a year later than we were supposed to and that he needed to accept it" Gabriella said.

"What did he say to that?" Troy asked.

"He's thinking about everything" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. Gabriella yawned.

"Troy, why don't you take Gabi home? She probably is exhausted and needs a nap" Lucille said.

"I'm fine, mom. Honestly" Gabriella said.

"No, I want to go home anyway" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Bye mom" Troy and Gabriella said.

The couple left the house and drove to Gabriella's. Troy parked the car and the couple walked into the house.

"Mom?" Gabriella called.

"Kitchen" Maria said.

The couple walked into the kitchen. Gabriella handed Maria the sonogram. Maria looked at the sonogram and smiled slightly.

"How was Dr. Brand?" Maria asked.

"I'm five weeks. She gave me some prenatal vitamins" Gabriella said.

Maria nodded.

"We stopped by my house and talked to my parents" Troy said.

"How was that?" Maria asked.

"I talked to Jack and he was a little bit more understanding than before" Gabriella said.

"Good. How are you feeling?" Maria asked.

"Tired and overwhelmed" Gabriella said.

"Go and take a nap. I'll call you when dinner is ready" Maria said.

Gabriella and Troy walked upstairs and into Gabriella's bedroom. Troy shut the door behind them. Gabriella wrapped her arms around her boyfriend and released the tears that she had been holding in.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

"Please tell me everything is going to be okay" Gabriella cried.

Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"Everything is going to be just fine baby. Don't worry" Troy said.

The couple took a nap and tried to wrap their heads around the fact that they were going to be parents in eight months.


	3. I Just Need Time

An hour later, the couple had heard Maria call them for dinner. They walked downstairs and sat at the dining room table and started eating.

"I talk to Mr. Matsui today" Maria said.

"You did? Please tell me you didn't tell him" Gabriella pleaded.

"I had to Gabi. You are going to miss school and we needed to figure out a plan" Maria said.

"Don't I have a say in this?" Gabriella asked.

"Baby, maybe mom has a point" Troy said.

"I'm not missing school mom" Gabriella said.

"Gabi, you need to have time to rest and not be stressed out" Maria said.

"But-" Gabriella started.

"No buts sweetheart. I know it's hard, but that is the choice you made" Maria said.

"Troy" Gabriella said looking at her boyfriend.

Troy sighed.

"Brie, it's going to be hard. I know that you don't want to miss school. I understand that completely. But, we don't want you to be stressed when you are pregnant or having to be running around and thinking about homework. You need to rest up for the baby" Troy explained.

A tear ran down Gabriella's face. She wasn't mad at her mother and Troy. It was just hard to think that her life turned upside down in only a couple days.

"May I be excused?" Gabriella asked.

"You barely touched your plate, Gabi" Maria said.

"I'm not hungry" Gabriella said.

"Okay honey" Maria said.

Gabriella stood up and wiped her tears away. She walked upstairs and Troy could hear Gabriella start crying as she closed her bedroom door. Troy and Maria finished their dinner in silence. After they finished, Troy had an idea.

"Hey mom, where's your peanut butter?" Troy asked.

Maria smiled knowing what Troy was thinking.

"You are a sweetheart" Maria said.

Troy smiled.

"I understand that she's upset about school and I totally get it. But, we are having a baby and there is a lot of things that go along with that. I think she's really overwhelmed" Troy said as Maria handed him the jar of peanut butter.

"I think so too. I think that once the shock wears off that she will understand" Maria said.

Troy nodded as he made Gabriella's peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He looked at Maria.

"I'm going to go bring this up to her" Troy said.

"Hopefully it makes her feel a little better" Maria said.

Troy walked upstairs with his girlfriend's favorite food. He knocked on the door.

"Brie, can I come in?" Troy asked through the door.

Troy heard a muffled yes and opened the door.

"You okay?" Troy asked carefully.

Gabriella looked at Troy with tears in her eyes.

"I brought you something that might make you feel a little better" Troy said putting the plate that held the peanut butter and jelly sandwich onto Gabriella's lap.

Gabriella smiled tearfully.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too" Troy said.

Gabriella ate her sandwich and Troy looked at her.

"So, can we talk about this?" Troy asked.

"I want to stay in school" Gabriella said.

"I know you do baby. But, you can't just go to class when you are nine months pregnant" Troy said.

"I'm going to go crazy without school" Gabriella said.

"Maybe some of your teachers will allow me to bring you your work and then turn it in for you" Troy said.

Gabriella shrugged.

"We can try that and see how it goes" Troy said.

"How am I going to tell Tay?" Gabriella asked changing the subject.

"You will have to sit her down and tell her. She's going to find out eventually baby. You might as well be upfront with her" Troy said.

"She's going to be really mad" Gabriella said.

"As it is expected. But, you have to tell her. She's your best friend, Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Should I go over there now?" Gabriella asked.

"Don't you think it's getting kind of late baby?" Troy asked.

"I just want to get it over with" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He got off Gabriella's bed and picked up his keys.

"Let's go" Troy said.

Gabriella got up and kissed Troy's lips softly.

"Your sandwich made me feel a lot better. If you were wondering" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Good" Troy said.

The couple walked downstairs and saw Maria reading in the living room.

"Where are you both off to?" Maria asked.

"Going to Tay's to tell her about the baby" Gabriella said.

"Be back before curfew please" Maria said reminding the couple.

"We will" Gabriella said.

Troy and Gabriella left the house. Troy drove to Taylor's house and parked his car.

"You ready to get lectured?" Troy asked.

Gabriella giggled.

"It's not going to be that bad" Gabriella said.

"Brie, Tay is the queen of science, like you are. She's going to lecture us on how we didn't listen in biology about sex and reproduction and all of that" Troy said.

Gabriella laughed.

"Come on" Gabriella said.

The couple got out of the car and walked to the front door. Gabriella rang the doorbell and Taylor answered it.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Taylor asked.

"We need to talk to you Tay" Gabriella said.

"Did I do something wrong?" Taylor asked.

"No, we just need to talk to you" Gabriella said.

"Come on in" Taylor said.

The couple walked into the house and went upstairs to Taylor's bedroom. Taylor closed the door behind them.

"So what did you need to talk to me about?" Taylor asked.

Gabriella looked at Troy and nodded.

"You are going to be really mad at us, but what has happened, happened and there is nothing we can do about it" Troy said.

Taylor looked at the couple confused.

"What did you do?" Taylor asked.

Gabriella pulled out the sonogram and handed it to Taylor. Taylor looked at it and gasped.

"No" Taylor breathed.

"I'm five weeks" Gabriella said.

"Gabi, how could you be so...so...ugh" Taylor started.

"Stupid? Yes I know Tay" Gabriella said.

"You just ruined everything you have worked for Gabs. Your GPA, your extra-curricular activities...all for what? Love?!" Taylor asked increduously.

Gabriella wiped the tears that were falling from her eyes. Troy rubbed Gabriella's back soothingly.

"Tay" Troy started.

"Don't say that I'm overreacting Troy. Because I am not" Taylor said pointing her index finger at him.

"I want to go home" Gabriella mumbled.

"Okay baby. I'll take you home" Troy said.

"Can I have your keys?" Gabriella asked quietly.

Troy handed Gabriella his car keys and she left the room.

"Tay, we know that we messed up big time. But Brie needs a friend right now...preferably a woman friend. She's scared to death and you just lectured her. Not thinking of what she was feeling" Troy said.

Taylor had tears running down her face.

"I need time" Taylor said.

Troy nodded.

"I've heard a lot of that lately" Troy said.

Troy left the house and saw Gabriella sitting in the car with her head leaning against the cool window. He got into the car and looked at Gabriella.

"Brie" Troy started.

"I'm so stupid" Gabriella cried.

"Baby, you are not stupid. We made a mistake. Yes, we should have been more careful. But this is what's happening now and there is nothing we can do to stop it. Tay is just upset and it will blow over" Troy said.

"I want to go home" Gabriella said.

"Alright, I'll take you home" Troy said.

Troy drove home and parked his car. The couple got out of the car and walked into the house.

"How was-" Maria started but then stopped when she saw Gabriella run upstairs.

Troy and Maria heard the bedroom door slam.

"It didn't go well I am assuming?" Maria asked.

Troy sighed and shook his head.

"She lectured Brie and wasn't very supportive about the whole thing. She said she needs time" Troy said.

Maria nodded.

"I'm going to go try and talk to her" Troy said.

Maria nodded.

"Thank you" Maria said.

Troy smiled.

"It's my job" Troy said.

"Not just for that Troy. You stood by Gabriella when she needed you the most. You didn't run away from it. That means more to me than anything" Maria said.

Troy smiled.

"I love her with all my heart, mom. She's the love of my life and even before we found out that she was pregnant, I knew that I wanted to marry her and spend the rest of my life with her" Troy said.

Maria smiled.

"I'll let you go see how she is doing" Maria said motioning up the stairs.

Troy nodded.

"But thanks mom. For letting me know that I'm doing something right" Troy said.

Maria smiled and nodded.

"You are my son" Maria said.

Troy smiled. He walked upstairs and went to Gabriella's room and saw the door closed.

"Brie?" Troy called through the door.

"I really don't feel like talking right now, Troy" Gabriella said and Troy could have sworn that he heard her crying.

"Okay. You know where I will be if you need to" Troy said.

Troy walked downstairs and went into the living room and started doing his homework. Maria came into the room.

"Did she talk?" Maria asked.

"She wants to be alone right now. I think what Tay said really hurt her" Troy said.

"She feels alone and scared. We have to make her feel like she has people around that love and support her" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"That reminds me, I have to tell Chad. Oh my god I am never going to hear the end of it" Troy said putting his head in his hands.

Maria put a hand on Troy's shoulder.

"Chad will understand" Maria said.

"U of A was something our parents have talked about since we met. The fact that I may not go when he does, will kill him" Troy said.

"Talk to him and see how it goes" Maria said.

"Can I invite him over? He may want to see Brie" Troy said.

"Of course honey. You are doing everything right Troy. I'm proud of you" Maria said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"Thanks" Troy said.

Troy called Chad and told him to come to Gabriella's. Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang and Troy answered it.

"Hoops" Chad said shaking his best friend's hand.

"I need to talk to you man" Troy said.

"What's going on? Are you and Gabi okay?" Chad asked.

"That's what I need to talk to you about Chad. You might want to sit down" Troy said.

Chad sensed that what Troy needed to talk about was serious. He sat down and Troy sat across from him.

"What's wrong with our Gabi?" Chad asked.

Troy took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He wanted to word this conversation perfectly.

"Remember when we were kids and how our parents always talked about going to play ball for U of A?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with Gabi?" Chad asked confused.

Troy took a deep breath in and looked at his best friend.

"I'm not going Chad...at least not when you intend to" Troy said.

Chad looked at Troy confused.

"Why? We dreamed of this our whole lives hoops. You can't not go because of Gabs" Chad said.

Troy put his hand out, signaling that he wasn't finished. Chad stopped talking and looked at him. Troy swallowed hard. He didn't think it was going to be this hard.

"I can't go when you go Chad because Gabriella is pregnant" Troy said.

There was silence. No one said anything for a couple minutes. Chad was looking at the floor trying to let the news sink in.

"She's-" Chad said trying to make sense of everything.

Troy nodded.

"Is she going to Stanford still?" Chad asked.

"That's on hold for right now. She's really upset about it" Troy said.

"Where is she?" Chad asked.

"Upstairs" Troy said.

"Can I see her?" Chad asked.

"Of course. But, be sensitive about this with her. Tay gave her an earful and is very upset. She needs support in this" Troy said.

Chad nodded. He got up and walked upstairs. Chad knocked on his "little sister's" bedroom door.

"Gabster? It's Chad. Can I come in?" Chad asked.

Chad heard a muffled yes. He opened the door and saw Gabriella lying on her bed.

"Hey, Troy just told me the news" Chad said.

Gabriella looked down at her feet, embarrassed of what she had done.

"Are you going to lecture me too?" Gabriella asked.

Chad shook his head.

"I just wanted to come up here and see if you were okay. Troy told me that Tay's reaction was...well Tay. I'm not thrilled that this is happening but I will always be here for you and Troy okay?" Chad said.

Gabriella had tears running down her face.

"I'm so scared Chad" Gabriella cried.

Chad opened his arms and Gabriella crawled into them and hugged her best friend.

"I know you are. But hey, I will be Uncle Chad in a few months" Chad said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Troy will never trust you to be alone with our baby" Gabriella joked.

"I am hurt that you would even say that Gabriella! I have never injured a kid while they have been on my watch" Chad said putting a hand on his heart.

Gabriella giggled.

"Hoops and I have practice in a hour. Are you going to be-" Chad started.

"I'll be fine. My mom is here" Gabriella said.

Chad smiled and nodded.

"I love you Gabs. Always remember that" Chad said.

"I love you too Chaddy" Gabriella said.

"I have to get going. I'll send the baby daddy up to say goodbye" Chad said.

Gabriella rolled her eyes playfully.

"Hey, I didn't say that I wouldn't let him off easy" Chad said.

Gabriella giggled and nodded.

"Bye Chad" Gabriella said.

Chad left the room and Gabriella sighed in relief. That had gone better than when they had told Taylor. Gabriella was pulled out of her thoughts when a shirtless Troy came into the room.

"Feel a little better?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"At least Chad is supportive" Gabriella said.

"Yeah. Practice is only an hour today. So I will be home early" Troy said.

"Okay, can I go with you? I can finish my homework in the library" Gabriella said.

"Are you sure you feel up to it?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"I feel fine, other than a little emotional" Gabriella said.

"Alright. Get your stuff ready" Troy said.

Gabriella got off the bed and got her books. The couple then walked downstairs and left the house. They knew that with time, everything would be okay.


	4. Taking Responsibility For Your Actions

A week later, Troy came home from school and saw Gabriella sitting on the couch with a blanket over her.

"What are you doing home so early?" Troy asked.

"I threw up all over my lab desk. The nurse had to call mom to come get me" Gabriella said.

Troy's face softened.

"Why didn't you call me babe? I would have taken you home. My class was right next to yours" Troy said.

"You need to go to school Troy. You can't worry about me twenty-four seven" Gabriella said.

"Brie, we are having a baby-" Troy started.

"I know we are having a baby! I hear it all day long Troy. All day! You don't think I don't know that? I do. I'm just trying to deal with all of this and everything is going way too fast" Gabriella said starting to cry.

"Gabs" Troy said softly.

"I just can't do it today okay?" Gabriella cried.

Troy put his stuff down and walked over to the couch and sat down next to Gabriella.

"I'm sorry for coming at you like that. I'm just worried about you Gabriella" Troy said.

"I know you are. But, I don't need to be under a microscope all day long" Gabriella said.

Troy took a deep breath and released it.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you. I'm just frustrated with all of this" Gabriella said quietly.

"Don't apologize. You are just expressing how you feel baby. That's normal. And it's normal for you to feel frustrated. I know that I am" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips softly. Troy kissed her back and pulled away, leaning his forehead against hers.

"I'm sorry" Gabriella said quietly.

"It's okay sweetheart. How are you feeling now?" Troy asked softly.

"I think all of the stress got to me. I felt like everyone was staring at me, like they knew what was going on" Gabriella said.

"You are avoiding my question" Troy said.

"I feel a little better" Gabriella said.

"Did you make some tea?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Don't worry about what other people are saying. Focus on yourself and what you are doing" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I love you too. Next time, if you feel sick, please call me" Troy said.

"I will and I'm sorry that I didn't" Gabriella said.

"Our first pregnancy argument...hopefully there aren't a lot of these" Troy said.

"Hopefully" Gabriella said.

"Why don't you take a nap? Did you finish your homework?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Go take a nap baby" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Gabriella kissed Troy's lips softly. A couple weeks later, Troy was sitting in his history class, which was taught by his father. Jack Bolton not only coached basketball but also taught a couple of different classes at East High. Troy was listening to his father's lecture until a woman from the administrative office came into the classroom. She whispered into Jack's ear and he looked up at Troy. The woman left the room and Jack looked at Troy.

"Troy" Jack said.

"Yes?" Troy asked.

Jack motioned to the door. Troy looked confused but got his things together and left the classroom. He walked out and saw the school nurse with Gabriella. Troy walked over to them.

"What's going on?" Troy asked.

"She threw up in Trig. She told me to get you" the nurse explained.

Troy nodded.

"Baby girl, how do you feel?" Troy asked.

"Sick" Gabriella said.

Gabriella's face was flushed and her face had sweat dripping off it.

"Can I sign ourselves out?" Troy asked the nurse.

The nurse gave Troy a form to fill out. He filled out the form and took Gabriella's hand in his.

"Come on sweetheart. Let's get you home" Troy said.

The couple walked to Troy's car and got in. Troy started driving and occasionally looked at Gabriella.

"I'm sorry that you had to leave class because of me" Gabriella said.

"Don't worry about it Brie. My dad knew something was up. But, I'm glad you called me and let me know what was going on" Troy said.

"You told me that you wanted me to tell you if I got sick, so I did" Gabriella said.

"Is morning sickness three times a day normal?" Troy asked.

"I don't know. But, I do know that it sucks and I hate it" Gabriella said.

Troy put his hand on Gabriella's knee.

"Maybe we can ask mom or Dr. Brand if it is" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded tiredly. Troy pulled into the driveway and parked his car. The couple got out of the car and walked into the house. Maria looked up when she saw Troy and Gabriella come into the house.

"Aren't you both supposed to be in class?" Maria asked.

"She threw up and the nurse came and got me" Troy said.

"Are you feeling a little better honey?" Gabriella asked.

Gabriella shrugged.

"I'm just tired" Gabriella said.

"Is morning sickness three times a day normal mom?" Troy asked.

"For me, I threw up twice a day. Once in the morning and once at night. But, I would call Dr. Brand and see what she would recommend" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"Go get in bed babe" Troy said.

Gabriella walked upstairs and went into her bedroom and shut the door.

"The nurse came into my dad's class to get me" Troy said.

"Did she throw up in the middle of class?" Maria asked.

Troy nodded.

"She threw up in her biology lab. I feel awful" Troy said.

"It's just something that comes with the pregnancy, Troy. There may have been a scent that triggered nausea for her" Maria explained.

Troy nodded.

"What do I do?" Troy asked.

"Just be there when she needs you. That's all you can do" Maria said.

Troy sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I know it's hard to watch, but there is nothing you can do" Maria said.

"Yeah, I guess" Troy said.

Troy walked upstairs and saw Gabriella trying to get comfortable in her bed.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Nauseous and tired" Gabriella said.

"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" Troy asked.

"I couldn't sleep" Gabriella said.

"And why is that?" Troy asked closing the door behind him.

"I was just thinking about everything" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"It's a lot to think about" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"In seven and a half months, I am going to give birth to a baby at the age of seventeen" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded as he lied down next to Gabriella on her bed.

"I don't even know how to give birth, let alone be a mother to a baby" Gabriella said.

"I'm sure that Dr. Brand will talk to us about the birth when it gets closer. You are going to be an amazing mother Gabs. It's going to be hard, but everything will be okay" Troy said.

"I'm scared of losing you too" Gabriella said with tears in her eyes.

Troy took Gabriella's hand in his.

"Look at me Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at her boyfriend.

"You will never ever lose me. We may fight and argue about things. But you will always have me here. I'll always love you no matter what. You are carrying our baby babe" Troy said putting his hand on Gabriella's stomach.

Gabriella nodded.

"If you are scared about anything, you know that you can always talk to me or our mothers" Gabriella said.

"I know" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you. Take a nap please. You are exhausted" Troy said.

"I love you too and I will" Gabriella said.

Gabriella closed her eyes and fell asleep. Troy then walked out of the room and went downstairs. A couple weeks later, Gabriella was two and a half months pregnant. Troy and Gabriella's daily routine had consisted of Troy waking up to Gabriella throwing up and crying for an hour, going to school and not being able to pay attention, then going home to hearing about what everyone at school was saying about them. Troy had gotten a job at the auto shop that was down the street and was making a decent amount of money. One day, Troy came home from a long day at school and then going to the shop and working a three hour shift to Maria stroking Gabriella's head that was lying in her lap. Gabriella had a blanket that covered her body up to her neck. Troy walked over to the two women and kneeled down in front of Gabriella.

"Hey baby, how are you feeling?" Troy asked smoothing her hair back.

"I'm getting fat" Gabriella cried.

Troy's eyes softened.

"Baby, you are not fat. You aren't even showing" Troy said.

"You haven't seen her out of bed today. Honey, show Troy" Maria said.

Gabriella choked out a sob. Troy looked at his girlfriend and felt horrible that he wasn't in bed when she woke up.

"Stand up for me Brie. Let me see" Troy said softly.

Gabriella sat up and then stood up. She turned to the side and Troy saw the smallest baby bump forming on Gabriella's stomach. Troy stood up and opened his arms and Gabriella walked into them. She wrapped her arms tightly around her boyfriend.

"You look beautiful Brie. There is nothing more beautiful to me than you carrying our baby. Now, it feels even more real" Troy said kissing Gabriella's head softly.

"Do you mean that?" Gabriella asked tearfully.

Troy smiled.

"Of course I mean that. We made a baby Brie. You are carrying my child. That is a very beautiful thing" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it.

"Can I see it?"Troy asked.

Gabriella stepped away from her boyfriend and turned to her side. She pressed her shirt against her stomach so Troy could see her small bump.

"That, is beautiful and you are beautiful. End of story" Troy said kissing Gabriella's cheek.

"Thanks babe" Gabriella mumbled.

"Of course. I need to shower. I'm covered in grease" Troy said looking down at his stained clothes.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy left the room. Gabriella lied down in her original spot.

"Mami, is it going to hurt really bad?" Gabriella asked referring to the birth.

"It's going to hurt Gabi. But, you can ask for an epidural" Maria said.

"Does it take all the pain away like Tylenol?" Gabriella asked.

"Better than that. You will still have some feeling down there for when you have to push the baby out. But, it will only be a little bit of pain" Maria explained.

"Can Troy stay with me?" Gabriella asked.

"Of course he can. And if you want, Lucille and I can stay with you too" Maria said.

"Maybe you all can stay for labor. For the birth, I want you and Troy there" Gabriella said.

"We still have a long time to talk about that" Maria said.

Troy came back into the room and smiled when he saw Gabriella in her original position.

"What are we discussing ladies? You both look like you are talking about something serious" Troy said sitting on the ground in front of Gabriella.

"We were talking about the birth" Maria said.

"What about it?" Troy asked.

"I had mom questions" Gabriella said.

"Oh" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"Is everything okay?" Troy asked.

The two women nodded.

"Gabi just had some questions for me that's all" Maria said realizing Gabriella didn't want to tell Troy what they were discussing about the birth.

"Okay. I understand. You guys should talk more. Mom's a good person to talk to about that since she has been through it" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Later that night, the couple got ready for bed. Troy took his shirt off and got into bed and took a deep breath and released it.

"Troy?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes babe?" Troy asked turning to look at her and propping himself up with his elbow.

"I want to talk to you about what I was talking about with mom" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Baby, you don't have to if you don't want to" Troy said.

"No, I want to. I asked mom if the pain is really bad and that conversation grew and continued" Gabriella said.

"What did she say about the pain?" Troy asked.

"She said that it's going to hurt but that I can get an epidural" Gabriella said.

"What does that do?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Didn't you listen in biology? An epidural is basically a needle being put into the spine to block the pain. But, mom said that I will still have some feeling down there so I can push the baby out" Gabriella said.

"Wow" Troy said.

"Yeah, I don't think that I will be able to handle the pain without some sort of relief. It will probably be the best option. What do you think?" Gabriella asked.

"Is it expensive?" Troy asked.

"It's covered by insurance. We learned about that in biology too" Gabriella said.

"I didn't think I would be having a baby anytime soon so I zoned out and didn't listen" Troy said.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Troy, what do you think? You need to have a say in this decision too" Gabriella said.

"I don't want you to be in pain. If you need an epidural, I am fine with it" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I also told her that I wanted you in the delivery room with me" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I would be there even if you didn't want me to" Troy said.

"She will be in there with us too. Mom said that technically she, your mom, and you can all be in there with me. I told her that it was fine for when I will be in labor. But for the birth, I just want you and my mom. Does that sound okay?" Gabriella asked.

"I think that it's best that it just be your mom and I when you have to do whatever you need to do to get the baby out" Troy said.

"Push Troy. I need to push for the baby to come out" Gabriella said.

Troy turned dark red.

"Are you getting uncomfortable?" Gabriella asked.

"A little bit. But we need to talk about this" Troy said.

"We don't have to talk about all of this now. I just wanted to start putting together a plan of who is going to be there" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. Gabriella yawned and Troy smiled.

"I think little miss planner needs to get some sleep" Troy said.

"But, we were just getting somewhere" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"We can talk about this anytime we want to baby. We have seven and a half months to. Right now, you need sleep and so does my son" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy incredulously.

"You think the baby is a boy?" Gabriella asked.

"I only hope" Troy said.

"I want the baby to be a girl" Gabriella said.

"Well, it's either one or the other" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded sleepily.

"Go to sleep baby girl. Don't fight it. You need it now, more than ever" Troy said.

"Love you" Gabriella said sleepily.

Troy smiled.

"I love you too Brie" Troy said.

The next day, Gabriella walked into the gym while basketball practice was going on. She sat down in the first row of bleachers. Jack smiled when he looked over and saw Gabriella sitting and watching the team play.

"Hey mommy" Jack said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Hi dad" Gabriella said.

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked as he walked over to her.

"A little nauseous, but other than that okay. Thankfully, I didn't throw up in bio lab today" Gabriella said.

Jack smiled.

"I have a doctor's appointment today and I think Troy forgot" Gabriella said motioning to Troy doing basketball drills.

Jack nodded.

"I'll take care of it. Bolton! Shower now!" Jack called.

Troy looked at his father and then saw Gabriella sitting in the bleachers and then it hit him.

"It was today?" Troy asked referring to the appointment.

"Don't ask questions. Move! Let's go" Jack said.

Troy ran into the locker room and ten minutes later came running out. Gabriella hugged her boyfriend's father.

"I hope this doesn't happen for the next seven months Troy" Jack said.

"I honestly forgot. Are you ready to go?" Troy asked turning to Gabriella.

Gabriella nodded. The couple left the gym and got into Troy's car and started driving.

"I'm so sorry. I honestly forgot. I thought it was next week" Troy said as he drove.

"Don't worry about it. If I hadn't come and got you, you probably wouldn't have remembered" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"That is probably true. Or I would have remembered after practice" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I wonder what it's going to look like today" Gabriella said referring to their unborn baby.

"If your baby bump grows, doesn't that mean the baby is growing too?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"Then I am sure that it's bigger than last month because you didn't have a bump before" Troy said.

"True" Gabriella said.

Troy pulled into the parking lot of Dr. Brand's office. The couple got out of the car. Troy walked over to Gabriella and kissed her lips softly.

"I'm sorry I forgot" Troy mumbled.

Gabriella kissed Troy's lips softly.

"Don't let it happen again please" Gabriella said.

"It won't" Troy said.

"Let's go in" Gabriella said.

The couple walked into the office hand in hand. They knew that this pregnancy was going to be a team effort.


	5. Seduction Is Not Always A Good Thing

The couple walked into the office and Gabriella signed herself in and sat next to Troy. Troy took Gabriella's hand in his and entwined their fingers together and placed a kiss on her thumb. Gabriella leaned her head against her boyfriend's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Tired?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded with her eyes closed. A nurse came into the room with a file.

"Gabriella?" the nurse called.

The couple got up and followed the nurse into a small room where Gabriella's vitals were taken and then escorted into an exam room. Gabriella was told to change into a gown and that Dr. Brand would be in shortly. Gabriella changed into the gown and sat down on the exam table.

"How are you feeling today?" Troy asked.

"I didn't throw up in bio today" Gabriella said.

"That's good right?" Troy said.

"Yeah, but now that my bump is growing everyone is seeming to notice" Gabriella said.

"Don't listen to anything anyone is saying about you sweetheart. They don't know what you are going through" Troy said.

"I saw Tay today in the decathlon meeting today" Gabriella said.

"Oh? Did she say anything to you?" Troy asked.

"She is holding elections for a new president of the team since I have an obligation" Gabriella said looking down at her bump and folding her hands on her lap.

Troy sighed. He knew that Gabriella felt awful and completely betrayed by her best friend. Gabriella looked up at her boyfriend with tears running down her face.

"I ruined everything" Gabriella cried.

Troy got up and stood in front of Gabriella and took her into his arms. He kissed her head and rubbed her back as she cried. Dr. Brand knocked on the door and came into the room and saw the couple in each other's arms.

"What happened here?" Dr. Brand asked.

Troy looked at Gabriella, who sniffled.

"She's just having a bad day today" Troy said.

"I ruined my life. I know that you can't say that I did or didn't. But I lost my independence, my childhood, my education, and my best friend all in under two months" Gabriella cried.

Troy rubbed Gabriella's back soothingly.

"You are right. I can't say if you ruined your life or didn't. But what I do know, after you being my patient for a short amount of time, is that you are strong. You are a strong woman, Gabriella and you have a family and a boyfriend that love you to death" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella looked at Troy, who nodded and smiled at his girlfriend. She sighed.

"You ready to see your baby?" Dr. Brand asked.

The couple nodded. Gabriella lied down on the exam table. Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek softly.

"I love you so much baby" Troy whispered into Gabriella's ear.

"I love you too" Gabriella whispered back.

Dr. Brand turned on the ultrasound and moved Gabriella's gown above her bump. She then grabbed a bottle of gel and squeezed some of the product onto Gabriella's stomach. Dr. Brand then moved the gel around with a wand. She then looked at the monitor and smiled.

"There's your baby" Dr. Brand said pointing to the screen.

The couple looked at the monitor and smiled. Gabriella had tears running down her face and Troy wiped them away. She looked at Troy, who smiled at her.

"Is it healthy?" Troy asked.

"Yes. Everything looks normal and it has grown a little bit too" Dr. Hart said.

"We expected that, since my bump was growing" Gabriella said.

"When can you tell if it's a boy or a girl?" Troy asked.

Gabriella smiled.

"We can look and see if we can tell now, if you want?" Dr. Hart said.

Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Do you want to find out?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Okay, let's look and see" Dr. Hart said.

Dr. Hart moved the wand around Gabriella's stomach and looked at the screen.

"There's the feet and there is the labia. Congratulations, you are having a baby girl" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella started crying. Troy smiled. He kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"Are you happy baby?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded as she cried.

"I'm so happy" Gabriella cried.

Dr. Hart smiled. Troy looked confused.

"Don't worry Troy, it's the hormonal change that is making her cry. All you can do is be there and help her through it" Dr. Hart explained.

Troy nodded.

'Okay" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it. She wiped her tears away.

"Sorry" Gabriella said.

"Don't worry about it Gabriella. If you need to cry, then by all means cry" Dr. Hart said.

Troy smiled.

"Are you okay Brie?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, I'm just really happy. I finally feel happy about having this baby" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"Good. I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She put her hand on her boyfriend's cheek.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

"I'm going to print these pictures for you and I will be back" Dr. Hart said handing Troy a towel to help Gabriella wipe the gel off her stomach.

Dr. Hart left the room. Gabriella took the towel from Troy and wiped the gel off her expanding stomach. She then threw the towel away and wrapped her arms around Troy's neck and leaned in and kissed his lips. Troy pulled back and smiled.

"My girls" Troy said putting his hand on Gabriella's bump.

Gabriella smiled and nodded. Dr. Hart came back into the room and handed Troy the sonogram.

"Alright, I need to examine you Gabriella. Can you lie back for me?" Dr. Hart asked.

Gabriella lied down again on the exam table and spread her legs apart. She grabbed Troy's hand and looked at him. Troy smiled.

"Just breathe sweetheart" Troy said softly.

"Gabriella take a big deep breath in for me" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella took a deep breath in and groaned when she felt Dr. Hart start to examine her.

"Just breathe baby. It's okay" Troy said.

Gabriella whined.

"I know it's uncomfortable Gabriella. You are doing great" Dr. Hart said.

"Look at me Brie" Troy said trying to make her focus.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"Breathe with me" Troy said.

The couple took deep breaths until Dr. Hart came up and smiled.

"Everything looks fine. I'll see you guys next month" Dr. Hart said throwing her gloves away.

Gabriella released the breath that she was holding.

"She's okay?" Gabriella asked.

Dr. Hart nodded.

"She is okay. She's growing at the right speed and there isn't any stress that is being put on her. She's doing just fine, Gabriella. Don't worry" Dr. Hart said putting a hand on Gabriella's knee.

Gabriella nodded.

"Thank you Dr. Hart" Gabriella said.

"No problem. See you next month. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call and ask" Dr. Hart said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Dr. Hart left the room. Gabriella sat up and looked at Troy.

"She's healthy. That's all that matters right now" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Troy?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes sweetheart?" Troy asked.

"Is it okay to feel overwhelmed?" Gabriella asked tearfully.

Troy stood up in front of his pregnant girlfriend. He pushed a stray hair behind Gabriella's ear and nodded. Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy's neck and cried into his chest. Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella's waist and placed one hand on her expanding bump. He kissed Gabriella's forehead.

"It's most definitely okay to feel that way" Troy finally said as tears ran down his own face.

"We are only seventeen" Gabriella said.

"I know...I know baby. I know that you are scared out of your mind" Troy started.

Troy pulled back and placed one hand on the left side of the exam table and the other on the right side.

"But, you...we can do this Gabs. I know that we didn't plan to have a baby this early, but it's happening. Even if I wasn't the father of this baby, I still would be here with you because you are my best friend. You are going to give birth to our baby girl and it may be hard at times, but everything is going to fall into place. You can do this baby. I know you can" Troy said.

Gabriella had tears running down her face. She wrapped her arms around Troy's neck and choked out a sob. Troy rubbed her back soothingly and whispered sweet things into his girlfriend's ear.

"Let's get out of here and go home and relax. Sound good? Maybe we can figure out how to tell our families about baby girl?" Troy suggested.

Gabriella nodded. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips softly.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too Brie. So much" Troy said.

Gabriella changed back into her clothes. The couple then left the office and drove home. Troy pulled into the driveway and parked the car. He looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"Feeling okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella smiled and nodded. The couple got out of the car and walked into the house. Maria smiled at the couple.

"How was the doctor?" Maria asked.

"Good. She said the baby was healthy and had grown since last month, obviously because of my bump" Gabriella said.

"Good. Have you talked about finding out the sex?" Maria asked.

Troy looked at Gabriella, who looked at Troy and smiled.

"We found out today" Gabriella said happily.

"But, we want to wait until tomorrow and have both families together" Troy said.

Maria nodded.

"Make the mothers suffer for another night" Maria joked.

The couple smiled.

"I'm going to take a nap. I'm really tired" Gabriella said.

"Okay. Call me if you need anything" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips softly. Troy placed his hand on Gabriella's bump and smiled. He pulled back and kneeled down in front of Gabriella.

"Daddy loves you sweetheart" Troy said kissing Gabriella's bump.

Troy stood up and Gabriella smiled.

"Have a good nap" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled and walked upstairs. Troy turned to Maria when he heard the door close upstairs.

"Troy, can't you tell me?" Maria asked.

Troy smiled.

"I can't mom. Brie will kill me" Troy said.

"I won't tell" Maria said.

"I don't trust your word. Remember when we first started dating and you were the first one I told that I loved Brie?" Troy asked.

Maria giggled and nodded.

 _Flashback_

 _To say Troy was nervous was an understatement. He and Gabriella had been dating for a year and a half and he wanted to tell her that he loved her, but didn't know how. Troy walked to Gabriella's house, knowing that she was at a decathalon meeting. He walked to the front door and rang the doorbell. Maria opened the door and smiled._

" _You do know that Gabi isn't here right?" Maria asked._

" _Yeah, I do. I need advice Maria" Troy said._

 _Maria motioned for Troy to come into the house. Maria and Troy walked into the living room and sat down._

" _What's on your mind Troy?" Maria asked._

" _Brie and I have been dating for a year and a half and I have been trying to figure out how to tell her something very important. But, I'm really nervous about it" Troy said._

 _Maria smiled._

" _Is it bad?" Maria asked._

 _Troy shook his head._

" _I want to tell her that I love her, Maria" Troy said._

 _A week later, Gabriella and Maria were in the kitchen._

" _How's Troy?" Maria asked._

" _He's fine. He's been practicing extra hard for the big game coming up" Gabriella said._

" _He hasn't mentioned anything to you?" Maria asked._

" _No, why? What do you know mom?" Gabriella asked._

" _He's going to tell you that he loves you, Gabi" Maria said._

 _Gabriella smiled._

 _End of Flashback_

"I remember how scared you were to tell me. That's also when you called me Maria and not mom. My, how things have changed" Maria said.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"I love her mom. I really really love her" Troy said.

"I know you do, Troy. Since she found out that she's pregnant I can see it more and more" Maria said.

Troy smiled.

"I'm always going to love her" Troy said.

"I know" Maria said.

Troy and Maria talked for a little while longer until they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Gabriella stopped at the bottom step and looked at her boyfriend and mother. She was dressed in one of Troy's practice shirts, that hit just above her knee.

"Gabriella" Maria said shocked.

Troy choked on the water that he was drinking.

"I want to be comfortable while I sleep. I have a baby living inside of me" Gabriella said.

Troy's face turned dark red in embarrassment.

"You are following the rules that I made right?" Maria asked.

"Yes mom. He hasn't tried any moves on me" Gabriella said.

Troy covered his eyes with his hands trying to fast forward this encounter. Maria smiled knowing that he had tortured Troy enough.

"I'm only joking Troy" Maria said.

Troy took his hands off his face and looked at Maria.

"Babe, is there something that you needed?" Troy asked.

"I just wanted to know if you were coming up soon?" Gabriella asked putting her hand on her expanding bump.

"I'll be up in a minute okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She then walked upstairs and Troy heard the door close. Maria giggled.

"That wasn't funny" Troy said.

"I thought it was hilarious" Maria said.

Troy shook his head and got up and walked upstairs. He opened Gabriella's bedroom door and saw Gabriella trying to get comfortable in bed. Gabriella opened her eyes and sighed.

"The bump is getting in the way" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Let me try" Troy said.

Troy lied down next to Gabriella. Gabriella leaned her body against Troy's and smiled in content.

"Better?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Much" Gabriella said.

The couple fell asleep. A couple weeks later, Gabriella was at her locker when she saw Taylor at hers. She closed her locker and walked up to Taylor.

"Tay, can we talk?" Gabriella asked.

"What do you need to talk to me about?" Taylor asked.

"Tay, you are my best friend. I know that it was irresponsible to have unprotected sex, but it happened and I got pregnant. You have to accept that" Gabriella said.

"You ruined your future Gabriella. Everything you worked for is going to be for nothing because you now have a baby to take care of. You can't go out of state to school and you can't go to Stanford" Taylor said.

"You think that I don't know that Tay?! I do. Every time I get mail, it's from big colleges like Stanford or Yale. You have no idea how upset I am about that" Gabriella said as she started to cry.

Troy saw Gabriella walk away from Taylor and then walk past him.

"Baby?" Troy called.

Gabriella ignored Troy and kept walking. Troy tightened his jaw and took a deep breath. He walked over to Taylor and looked at her.

"What did you say Tay?" Troy asked.

"I just said that she lost everything she had worked for, Troy. Which she has" Taylor said.

"You know, you were her best friend. She's pregnant and scared and in need of a friend and all you can do is talk about how she ruined her life. Get over it Tay and don't talk to Gabriella anymore" Troy said.

Troy walked away. He walked upstairs to the rooftop, Gabriella's favorite thinking place and it was also their secret spot that nobody but the science club knew that was there. Troy walked onto the rooftop and saw Gabriella sitting with her hand on her bump and tears running down her face. He walked over to her and knelt in front of her.

"You okay baby?" Troy asked.

Gabriella sniffled and wiped her eyes.

"She's right" Gabriella said.

"No, she's not Brie. Not even close to being right. Tay doesn't know what she's talking about. You deserve everything and more. We got pregnant...things happen. But that doesn't mean that you aren't a good student or friend. So, you may not be going to Stanford when and if she goes. That's okay. You will get there. When the time comes, we will make it work so both of us can go to school. Don't listen to Tay, babe" Troy said.

"Why does it feel like I'm a bad student?" Gabriella asked.

"Because you are a perfectionist. You always have everything planned out to avoid any sort of procrastination and this wasn't part of your plan" Troy said.

"I'm ashamed of myself. We should have made sure that the condom wouldn't break before we even did anything" Gabriella said.

Troy swallowed hard.

"We shouldn't have had sex that night. I should have been studying for my chemistry exam that I had the next day. If I had been studying, none of this would have happened" Gabriella said.

"But we did have sex that night Brie. Every couple has sex. It doesn't make you a bad person for doing that" Troy said.

"You seduced me with chocolate covered strawberries" Gabriella said.

"It's my fault? Why is it my fault?" Troy asked putting one of his hands on his chest.

"You knew that I would want to have sex if you did what you did" Gabriella said.

Troy shook his head incredulously.

"If you didn't seduce me, the way you know how and the way that I love, then I wouldn't be pregnant right now" Gabriella said.

Troy took a deep breath and released it.

"I'm going to walk away now. You were the one that wanted to have sex Gabriella!" Troy said raising his voice.

Gabriella looked down at her feet and her lip quivered. Troy saw this and felt bad instantly.

"Baby" Troy started.

"No Troy. Don't" Gabriella said trying to hold in her tears.

Gabriella got up and left the rooftop. Troy took a deep breath and released it. That night, Troy had opened the front door after he got out of practice. Maria was sitting at the kitchen table.

"Did she tell you what happened today?" Troy asked.

"Parts of it" Maria said.

"Mom, I swear on my life. That's not how it went down" Troy said.

"I know. What she is going through is very hard. She's going to blame you because she knows its not your fault" Maria said.

"Do you know if she's asleep?" Troy asked.

"I think she's doing homework" Maria said.

Troy nodded. He walked upstairs and went to Gabriella's bedroom. Troy sighed when he saw the door closed and probably locked too. He knocked politely on the door.

"Brie, can we talk please?" Troy asked through the door.

"I don't want you to feel seduced by me" Gabriella yelled.

Troy rolled his eyes.

"Gabriella open the door" Troy said.

Troy heard movement in the bedroom. Gabriella opened the door and was holding Troy's bag.

"We are done. I'm done with you" Gabriella said.

"Gabs!" Troy said.

Gabriella handed Troy his bag.

"Leave. Now" Gabriella said.

Gabriella shut the door before Troy could say anything. He walked downstairs and looked at Maria.

"She broke up with me" Troy said.

Maria gasped.

"Troy" Maria said.

"I'm going home. Call me if something happens please" Troy said.

"I will" Maria said.

"And mom?" Troy asked.

"Yes Troy?" Maria asked.

"Tell her that I love her and our daughter" Troy said.

"Daughter? You are having a girl?!" Maria asked excitedly.

Troy looked at Maria.

"Sorry. I will tell her. I love you Troy. This will blow over, you will see" Maria said.

"I hope so" Troy said.

Maria kissed Troy's cheek.

"I'll call you if anything happens" Maria said.

Troy nodded. He left the house and hoped that everything would be okay.


	6. Adjustments Are Never Easy

An hour later, Gabriella came downstairs. Her cheeks had tear stains on them and her eyes were red from crying. She walked into the kitchen and picked up a banana. Maria walked into the room and looked at her daughter.

"Did he leave?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes. You told him to, so he did. Gabriella, sit down" Maria said patting the stool at the kitchen island.

Gabriella sat down next to her mother.

"I know that what you both are going through is stressful. But fighting with Troy isn't going to fix this. You aren't going to magically not be pregnant if you try to be right about what happened" Maria said.

Gabriella blinked.

"It's just hard to deal with mom. Troy has the opportunity to have a future. He can go to college if he wanted to. He could accept his scholarship. We had sex and our plans were destroyed" Gabriella said.

"He's not accepting his scholarship Gabriella because he knows that's not the right thing to do. For you, him, and your daughter" Maria said.

Gabriella looked at her mother with wide eyes.

"I'm going to kill him! He-" Gabriella started.

"It slipped out Gabi. Relax. He wants to be around and raise your daughter with you. He loves you to death" Maria said.

"I told him that he seduced me" Gabriella said.

Maria nodded.

"You can't blame him for anything. It's both of your faults" Maria said.

Gabriella nodded and looked down at her bump.

"What should I do?" Gabriella asked.

"Go and try to talk to him. You know that he will listen to your reasoning Gabi" Maria said.

Gabriella nodded. She hugged her mother. Maria put her hand on her daughter's head and kissed it softly.

"Bring my son back here" Maria said.

Gabriella nodded. She got up and left the house. Gabriella walked to the Bolton home and rang the doorbell. Lucille opened the door and smiled.

"Mom, I made a mistake. Where's Troy?" Gabriella asked.

"He's upstairs honey. How are you feeling?" Lucille asked.

"A little hormonal. But, other than that, okay" Gabriella said.

Gabriella walked upstairs to Troy's bedroom and knocked on the door.

"I don't want to talk mom" Troy said.

Gabriella opened the door and looked at her boyfriend. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Troy, I need to apologize. I shouldn't have blamed you for anything. Getting pregnant was both of our faults. Not just yours. I am just really stressed about this whole thing. Everything seems to be going wrong and being taken away. I don't want to break up" Gabriella said.

Troy looked down at his hands.

"I accept your apology and I don't want to break up either Gabs. I know you are stressed babe. I know you are and I am too" Troy said.

"Everything feels like it's spinning. Like I said before, I don't want to lose you Troy. I can't lose you too. Not when I have lost everything else" Gabriella said.

Troy motioned Gabriella to come and sit on his bed. Gabriella sat down and looked at her boyfriend. He opened his arms and Gabriella entered them and placed her head on Troy's chest. The couple sat in silence for a couple moments.

"This is going to be hard Brie. But I love you and our baby girl. Can we just try and move past this?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly but passionately. Gabriella pulled away and rested her forehead against Troy's.

"I would so make love to you right now, but your mom would kick me out" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and moved a stray hair away from Gabriella's face.

"I love you too" Troy said.

A couple weeks later, Troy came home late from work. He walked into the kitchen and smiled when he saw Gabriella cooking with Maria. Gabriella's body had changed a lot in the last couple of weeks. Her bump had grown, her breast size had increased by two cup sizes, her feet had become swollen, and her mood swings had become evident. Troy walked over to Gabriella and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Hi baby" Troy said.

"Hi. How was work?" Gabriella asked.

"Busy. Everyone decided to have car problems today" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled sympathetically.

"What are we eating?" Troy asked.

"We are eating enchiladas" Gabriella said.

"Mm" Troy said.

"Baby girl obviously wants Mexican tonight" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Do you need me to do anything?" Troy asked.

"Go shower. You smell like gas and oil" Gabriella said.

Troy's eyes widened. Maria laughed.

"Her sense of smell is very sensitive" Maria said.

Troy shook his head.

"Can I have a kiss before I take a shower?" Troy asked.

"I'm going to get oil on me" Gabriella said.

Troy quickly pecked Gabriella's lips and ran upstairs before she could say anything. Gabriella shook her head.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with your daddy baby" Gabriella said.

Twenty minutes later, Troy came downstairs freshly showered and shaven. He walked over to Gabriella. Gabriella looked at her boyfriend.

"Better?" Troy asked.

Gabriella motioned Troy to come closer to her.

"Let me smell" Gabriella said.

Troy walked over to Gabriella and held his arms out so she could smell him.

"Your clean" Gabriella said smelling him.

Troy looked at Maria and then looked down at Gabriella's stomach. He bent down and kissed Gabriella's bump.

"Baby girl, you are making your mommy crazy" Troy said.

"Troy, do you want a kiss or not?" Gabriella asked.

Troy looked up at Gabriella and smiled. He stood up and leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"Hi" Troy said.

"Hi" Gabriella said.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked placing his hand on Gabriella's bump.

"Alright. My back is starting to hurt a little bit" Gabriella said.

"You should be sitting down Gabriella" Maria said.

"But, it makes it harder to cook if I'm sitting" Gabriella said.

"Baby, sit down" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed but pulled out a chair and sat down.

"I'm just looking out for you" Troy said.

"I know. There are too many rules. I'm only sixteen" Gabriella said.

"And whose fault is that you are pregnant at sixteen?" Maria asked.

The couple looked down.

"You shouldn't be pregnant at all" Maria said.

"Do you want me to take over so you can go lie down?" Troy asked.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He kissed Gabriella's cheek softly. That night, Gabriella was tossing and turning. She finally got up and walked downstairs. Gabriella went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator and smiled. She started pulling out ingredients and creating a midnight snack for herself. Upstairs, Troy woke up and saw that Gabriella was no longer in bed. He got up and walked out of the room and saw the bathroom light off. Troy walked downstairs in hopes to find Gabriella. He walked into the kitchen and smiled when he saw his girlfriend putting the finishing touches on her snack.

"What are you doing up this late?" Troy asked.

"Couldn't sleep. The bump was getting in the way and I couldn't get comfortable" Gabriella said.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Troy asked.

"You have a long shift at the shop tomorrow and I didn't want to keep you up" Gabriella said.

"You don't need to worry about that babe. What are you making?" Troy asked.

"I was craving something savory and sweet so I made basically anything I could find in the fridge and any spices that sounded good" Gabriella said.

"Cravings? I thought that wasn't supposed to happen until later" Troy said.

"They can happen at anytime" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. Gabriella finished making her delicacy and put it on a plate. She sat down at the table and started eating. Troy got an idea. He picked up another plate and took a spoon and picked up some of Gabriella's dish and placed it on his own plate.

"What are you doing?" Gabriella asked confused.

"Well, I did say that we are going through this pregnancy together right? If we are, I want to taste this _interesting_ snack that you have made" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. Troy smiled back and winked.

"It tastes really good" Gabriella said.

Troy took a bite of his food and started chewing it carefully, trying to avoid a gag reflex. He swallowed it and looked at Gabriella.

"That bad?" Gabriella asked.

"No baby. It was..it was...it had some nice textures" Troy said.

"Textures?" Gabriella asked.

"A lot of different types of food all in one meal. It was a very unique taste" Troy said trying to make Gabriella feel like her craving was normal.

"Troy, you didn't like it. Just admit it" Gabriella said.

"In all honesty, it was really bad babe. But, if you like it and it makes you and baby girl happy then keep doing what you are doing" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled. She finished her meal and placed her dish in the dishwasher. Gabriella then walked over to Troy and wrapped her arms around him.

"Thanks for being a good sport" Gabriella said leaning in and kissing Troy's lips.

Troy smiled.

"Just promise me that the next craving you have is like a burger or something. That, I will eat happily" Troy said.

"I'll see what I can do" Gabriella said.

"You feeling okay otherwise?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy put his hand on Gabriella's stomach.

"Come on, we need to go to sleep. We have school tomorrow" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy took Gabriella's hand and the couple walked upstairs to Gabriella's bedroom and fell asleep. A couple weeks later, Gabriella was four months pregnant. Morning sickness had stopped and the couple was very happy about it. Gabriella was still in school and busy as ever. One day, Troy was at basketball practice doing drills for the upcoming game. Someone from the front office came into the gym and pulled Jack aside. A couple moments later, Jack blew his whistle.

"Troy" Jack said.

Troy looked at his father and knew something was wrong.

"What happened? Where is she?" Troy asked jogging over to his father.

"Nurses office. Didn't tell me what happened" Jack said.

Troy nodded. He left the gym and walked to the nurses office. Troy saw Gabriella lying on a bed with a blanket over her. He walked over to her and sat on the edge of the bed.

"What happened baby?" Troy asked worriedly.

"I was dehydrated and I almost fainted" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed in relief.

"Are you okay now?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"She needs rest. She said she was running around and trying to get things done for the chemistry club and that's when it started" the nurse said.

Troy nodded.

"Especially since she's pregnant, she should not be doing what she's doing. She needs to take it easy" the nurse said.

"I agree. Can I take her home?" Troy asked.

"Of course" the nurse said.

Troy and Gabriella left the nurse's office and went to Troy's car and got in. The couple drove in silence until Gabriella spoke up.

"I'm sorry" Gabriella said.

Troy took a deep breath and released it.

"Babe, you need to start taking care of yourself. You need to make sure you eat more than you are used to. You need to drink a lot more water than you are used to. Finally, you shouldn't be stressing out about things like whether or not there is a classroom for the chemistry club. You are carrying our daughter, Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella had tears running down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think I was doing too much" Gabriella cried.

Troy put his hand on Gabriella's thigh.

"I'm not mad, baby. I just am worried about you. Getting called out of practice because you are in the nurse's office is not something that I want to hear happen again" Troy said.

"I'm sorry" Gabriella repeated.

"I just need you to be more careful okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy drove home to Gabriella's house and parked his car. The couple got out of the car.

"Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at her boyfriend. Troy walked up to her and kissed her lips.

"I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

"Promise me you will be more careful" Troy said.

"I promise" Gabriella said.

The couple walked into the house and Troy froze when he saw his parents sitting down on the couch with Maria.

"Hi Troy" Lucille said.

"Hi mom" Troy said.

"Troy, I hope it's alright that I invited your parents over" Maria said.

"Yeah, it's fine" Troy said.

"Gabriella, how are you feeling?" Lucille asked.

"Good. A little tired, but good" Gabriella said.

"Brie is actually going to take a nap upstairs" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. Gabriella walked upstairs and Troy watched her until he heard the bedroom door close. He then looked at his parents.

"What's going on?" Troy asked.

"We wanted to find out what your plan is about Gabriella and the baby" Lucille said.

"Brie and our daughter will be with me" Troy said.

Maria smiled.

"We understand that Troy. But where? How are you going to do it?" Maria asked.

"We talked about it. Gabriella wants me to be in school and take my scholarship. She is going to be with our daughter until I finish and then we will trade off and she will go to school and I will be home" Troy said.

"What about work?" Jack asked.

"We haven't gotten that far. We've had some _accidents"_ Troy said.

"Accidents?" Lucille and Maria asked.

"I got pulled out of practice today because she was dehydrated and almost fainted in chemistry club" Troy said.

"That's why she's upstairs?" Maria confirmed.

Troy nodded.

"I think she's getting too stressed out and it's not healthy for her or the baby. She's running around and she shouldn't be" Troy said.

Maria and Lucille nodded.

"We haven't gotten around to talking about work yet because of all the stuff going on. I am making a decent amount at the shop" Troy said.

"But what happens when the baby comes Troy?" Lucille asked.

"We will both have jobs" Troy said.

"Where are you going to live?" Jack asked.

"When we have enough saved up, we will find an apartment. But, when the baby first comes, I am sure that Brie is going to want to be here to have Maria help her" Troy said.

Maria nodded.

"And I want to make sure that you both can handle the baby" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"Who is going to be in the delivery room with her?" Lucille asked.

"Okay, stop. If you both are going to come in here and ask questions that's fine. But, we are both stressed out. We are still trying to figure things out. So please, give us time to do that" Troy said.

Lucille nodded.

"We just wanted-" Lucille started.

"I know that you are only trying to help. But Brie is stressed out. Between school, our friends, the work thing, our relationship, and her pregnancy...it's a lot to deal with. She's still trying to cope with all of this" Troy said.

The three parents nodded.

"I am going to go up and check on her" Troy said.

Troy walked upstairs and went into the bedroom. Gabriella was sitting up in bed and looking at her boyfriend.

"Did you hear all of that?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Baby" Troy started.

"I need to go downstairs" Gabriella said getting out of bed.

Gabriella walked downstairs and saw the three adults talking.

"Troy and my mother are going to be in the delivery room with me, to answer your question mom" Gabriella said.

"Sweetheart, you know that we are just trying to figure this all out. No one is upset or trying to tell you what you should or shouldn't do. But, we need to figure out what is going to happen when the baby comes" Lucille said.

"I know. I just am really new at all of this and don't know what's happening. Every day is a new thing" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I want Troy, the baby, and I to be in the same household when the baby comes. I don't want her to be going from house to house. That is not stability. She is going to need stability and I will do everything in my power to give her that" Gabriella said.

"Honey, your going to be seventeen years old. You aren't-" Maria started.

"Do you want my daughter to be in a broken home? I won't allow it" Gabriella said.

"Gabs-" Troy started but was then interrupted.

"No Troy. If we are going to have a baby, then we need to act as though we are married and adults. People that have babies live in the same house and are not bounced around. So, that is what I want. You all can accept it or not. But that's what I want and that is what is going to happen" Gabriella said.

There was silence for a moment. Troy was the first one to speak up.

"I agree. If we are going to have this baby, it needs to be done right" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. The couple and their parents tried to come up with a plan for when the baby came the rest of the day.


	7. Be A Seventeen Year Old

That night, Gabriella was working on her homework in the living room. She had been trying to finish it for the last two hours but kept getting distracted. It was about eleven thirty in the evening and there was no sign of Gabriella going to bed anytime soon. Troy walked into the living room and looked at his pregnant girlfriend. She had her laptop resting on her bump and her feet up on the coffee table and textbooks were lying around her.

"You coming to bed?" Troy asked.

"Not yet. I have to finish" Gabriella said.

"Baby, you have been trying to finish for the last couple of hours. Maybe you just need to finish tomorrow when you have had some rest" Troy said.

"No. I have a paper due and a test in chemistry tomorrow. I can't tomorrow. Actually, I can't for the next five months" Gabriella said closing her laptop in defeat.

Troy smiled sympathetically. He walked over to the couch and sat down next to Gabriella. Troy took her laptop off her stomach and placed it on the coffee table. Gabriella leaned her head against Troy's chest.

"I didn't think it was going to be this hard" Gabriella said.

"I know" Troy said.

"I can't focus on anything" Gabriella said.

"Remember what the nurse said, you need to slow down baby. You are pregnant" Troy said.

"I know. I just don't know how and I don't know when to slow down Troy. I'm still adjusting" Gabriella said.

"I know you are sweetheart. And I know that it's hard. But, you can't get yourself stressed out like this. It's not good for you or her" Troy said.

"I know it's not. What should I do?" Gabriella asked.

"Ask your teachers for an extension for your homework and tests. Maybe they will give it to you" Troy suggested.

Gabriella sighed.

"It's not going to easy babe. But, it's better than staying up all hours of the night trying to finish assignments and study for tests" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Come on, you need to get some sleep for your test tomorrow" Troy said getting up.

"Fine" Gabriella said.

Troy held his hands out and Gabriella took them. Troy pulled Gabriella up and off the couch.

"It's starting to get harder to move around" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He wrapped his arm around Gabriella and the couple walked upstairs and went into Gabriella's bedroom. They changed into their pajamas and got into bed. Troy lifted Gabriella's shirt up and placed small kisses on her bump.

"Do we know where her head is?" Troy asked looking up at Gabriella.

"No. We can ask at my next appointment. Why?" Gabriella asked.

"I've been reading" Troy said.

Gabriella raised her eyebrows.

"About?" Gabriella inquired.

"Pregnancy. I don't know anything about it and I just want to know what's going on" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Her head is supposed to be down by my pelvis" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I read about that. I just didn't know where she was" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed Gabriella's bump again. Gabriella giggled.

"That tickles" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Daddy loves you so much baby girl" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"And so does mommy" Gabriella said.

Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips softly.

"You better get some sleep" Troy mumbled.

Gabriella nodded. The couple fell asleep. The next day, Troy and Gabriella came home from school. Maria looked at the couple and saw Gabriella storm upstairs and slam the door.

"What happened?" Maria asked.

"She's just having a really bad day. Her mood swings are going nuts" Troy said breathlessly.

"Did she yell at you yet?" Maria joked.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"About ten times since we got into the car" Troy said.

"It's only temporary" Maria said.

"I know. It's just hard to watch her go through all of this and not know what to do or say" Troy said.

Maria smiled and put her hand on top of Troy's.

"You are doing a really great job with it Troy. I know it's not easy. The mood swings drove Gabi's dad crazy" Maria said.

Troy smiled.

"You just have to be there to listen when she cries or screams and tell her that you love her. That's all you can do" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"She wasn't like this yesterday" Troy said.

"Everyday is different. You have to take everything as it comes" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"What should I do with this situation?" Troy asked.

"Wait until she calms down and she will come and talk to you when she is ready" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"Thanks mom" Troy said.

Maria smiled and nodded. An hour later, Troy was watching television when Gabriella came downstairs . She walked over to her boyfriend and sat down next to him.

"I'm sorry that I yelled at you" Gabriella said tearfully.

Troy turned the television off and looked at Gabriella.

"Hey, it's okay. I deserve it for getting you pregnant" Troy said.

"No it's not okay. I said some-" Gabriella started.

"You said some things that were hurtful but they were things that you needed to say. Don't worry about it baby. I promise you, I'm fine. I'm a big boy, I can handle it" Troy said.

"But I am sorry" Gabriella said.

"I know you are. Your mood swings are just another part of this whole thing. It's like morning sickness. It goes away after a while. This is going to go away too. Don't apologize for something that you can't control Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I love you too" Troy said kissing Gabriella's cheek.

"My first mood swing" Gabriella said stating the obvious.

Troy nodded.

"From what I have been reading, there is going to be a lot of them in the future" Troy said.

Gabriella moaned in frustration.

"Great" Gabriella said.

"But, I will be there every step of the way" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled tearfully. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips softly.

"Thanks for always being here. I don't say it a lot. But, I wouldn't be able to do this without you Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I wouldn't let you go through it by yourself. Don't thank me baby. You are the love of my life and I will always be here" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Why don't you go upstairs and take a little nap? Relax and give the diva some time to chill" Troy said.

"Diva? She's no Sharpay" Gabriella said.

Troy chuckled.

"I'm being serious. There is no way that my daughter is going to be another Sharpay. No way, no how" Gabriella said.

Troy tried to hold in his laughter.

"Don't laugh at me. You aren't supposed to be laughing at me Troy" Gabriella said.

"I'm sorry baby. It was funny" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed in frustration.

"Go take a nap" Troy said.

Gabriella walked upstairs and fell asleep. A couple hours later, the doorbell rang. Troy opened the door and saw his mother.

"Hi mom" Troy said.

"Hey honey. Where's Gabi?" Lucille asked.

"She's upstairs taking a nap. She had a rough day" Troy said.

"What happened?" Lucille asked worriedly.

"Hormones. Too many hormones and mood swings. I am a man. Does anyone understand that?" Troy asked to no one in particular.

Lucille laughed.

"Welcome to pregnancy, Troy" Lucille said.

"Are you here to have another one of those meetings where we all fight? Because if we are, I am going to play basketball with Chad" Troy said.

"No we aren't Troy. You can stay. I just came to visit" Lucille said.

"Oh. I am going to go check on Brie" Troy said.

"Okay honey" Lucille said.

Troy walked upstairs and saw Gabriella with her shirt pulled up above her bump, looking in the mirror.

"Hey beautiful, what are you doing?" Troy asked sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I don't look beautiful" Gabriella said.

"You are beautiful Brie" Troy said.

"Look at these. They aren't beautiful" Gabriella said pointing to her stretch marks.

Troy ran his hand over Gabriella's red stretch marks.

"Babe, even if you had thousands of stretch marks all over your body, I still would think you were beautiful" Troy said.

"Do you mean that?" Gabriella asked.

"Of course I mean that. Brie, your body may be changing every day from our daughter being inside of you. But, my love for you will never ever change. The fact that you are carrying our baby, makes you even more beautiful to me" Troy said.

"What do we do about these?" Gabriella asked looking down at the marks on her stomach.

"Let's ask our mother's what we should do. They are both downstairs. It will be better than an argument" Troy said.

"Did she come here to argue?" Gabriella asked.

"She said she just came to visit" Troy said.

The couple went downstairs.

"Hey sweetheart" Lucille said.

Gabriella smiled and sat down on the couch.

"Mom, what do I do about stretch marks?" Gabriella asked embarrassed of the question.

Troy smiled sympathetically. Lucille and Maria both smiled.

"Let me see Gabi" Maria said.

Gabriella stood up and walked over to Maria and Lucille and pulled her shirt up. Maria ran her hand over the marks like Troy had and nodded.

"There is a lotion that you can put on them to make them less irritated. But, other than that, there isn't a lot you can do" Maria said.

"Where can we get this lotion from?" Troy asked.

"Drugstore" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"Do you want me to go get it?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Okay. I'll be right back" Troy said.

Troy drove to the drugstore and found the lotion that Maria had been talking about and drove home. He opened the front door and walked into the living room. Troy handed the lotion to Gabriella. Gabriella smiled embarrassed that she made her boyfriend go out and buy stretch mark lotion. She stood up and wrapped her arms around Troy and kissed his cheek.

"Thanks baby" Gabriella said.

"No problem. I want you to be comfortable with this Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She pulled back and looked at her boyfriend.

"I'm going to go put this on" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded and watched Gabriella walk upstairs.

"You have grown a lot closer together" Lucille said.

"Well, we are having a baby. If that's not close, I don't know what is. I love her" Troy said.

Gabriella came downstairs a couple minutes later. Troy smiled.

"Feel better?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"A little bit" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Good" Troy said.

"Have you thought of any names yet?" Maria asked.

Troy and Gabriella shook their heads.

"No, not yet. But we should though right?" Gabriella asked.

"At least picking some that you like" Lucille said.

The couple nodded. A couple weeks later, Gabriella came home from school and saw Troy in the kitchen. She walked into the kitchen and sat on the stool at the island.

"How was school today baby?" Troy asked.

"It was alright" Gabriella said.

"You feeling okay?" Troy asked.

"My back and feet hurt" Gabriella said.

"Why don't you go lie down?" Troy suggested.

"I don't want to" Gabriella said.

"Then I can't help you solve your back and foot problem sweetheart" Troy said.

Gabriella started crying. Troy stopped what he was doing and walked over to his girlfriend and took her into his arms.

"Shh..baby it's okay" Troy said wrapping his arms around her.

"I'm tired of being pregnant and I'm tired of Tay not talking to me" Gabriella cried.

"I know you are Brie. In a couple months, we will have our daughter here and everything will be fine" Troy said.

"How do you know it's going to be fine?" Gabriella asked.

"Because I am a daddy now. I know things" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled.

"You are such a dork" Gabriella said.

"And don't worry about the Tay thing. If she wants to talk, then she will. But, we just have to give you both some space" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She wrapped her arms around her boyfriend.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"I love you too baby" Troy said.

"How was practice?" Gabriella asked.

"It was fine. Dad pulled me aside and talked to me for a while" Troy said.

"What happened?" Gabriella asked.

"He said that he was proud of me" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Why is he proud of you?" Gabriella asked.

"He's happy that I did the right thing. I didn't leave you when you when you found out you pregnant and that I stood by you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I agree with him. You could have left but you didn't" Gabriella said.

"I would never-" Troy started.

"You never would leave me. But, if all the stress overwhelmed you, you could have" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded understanding his girlfriend's reasoning.

"Was that all he said?" Gabriella asked.

"He wanted to know if I was taking a leave of absence when you were on your maternity leave?" Troy asked.

"And are you? You shouldn't" Gabriella said.

"I want to be here though" Troy said.

"I know you do baby. But, you need to finish school" Gabriella said.

"So do you" Troy said.

"I don't want you to miss the championship game" Gabriella said.

"That doesn't matter right now" Troy said.

"Yes it does Troy. You wake up, watch me throw up, go to school, come home, listen to me cry, go to work, come home, listen to me cry again, and finally go to bed at three in the morning. You need to play at that game. I will not allow you to miss it" Gabriella said.

"You will be nine months pregnant Brie" Troy said.

"And I have our mothers if anything happens. I want to see you play and be a seventeen year old Troy" Gabriella said.

"I want to see you be a seventeen year old too Brie, but we are having a baby. Plans need to be adjusted" Troy said.

"This game determines your future" Gabriella said.

"My future is you and the baby" Troy said.

"Stop Troy" Gabriella said.

"What is this all about babe? Talk to me" Troy said softly.

"I don't want you to miss that game because of my mistake" Gabriella said.

"It's not your mistake. _We_ made a mistake. It's both of our responsibilities" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and sighed.

"I will go to tell dad right now that he has to make you play" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed in defeat.

"Fine" Troy said giving in.

Gabriella smiled. Troy put his hand on Gabriella's bump.

"Please baby girl, stop making your mom crazy" Troy said kissing Gabriella's stomach.

Gabriella went over to the Bolton home and talked to Jack about the championship game. Troy hoped that Gabriella would understand that she and the baby were his life now and the decisions that he makes affects them too.


	8. Be Sensitive With Me

Gabriella drove to the Bolton home and parked her car. She got out of the car carefully and walked to the front door and rang the doorbell. Lucille opened the door and smiled.

"Gabi, what are you doing here?" Lucille asked.

"I need to talk to dad" Gabriella said.

"He's in his office. Is everything okay?" Lucille asked.

"Yeah, I just need to talk to him for a minute" Gabriella said.

Gabriella walked upstairs to Jack's office and knocked on the door. Jack looked up and smiled.

"Hey, how's my granddaughter doing today?" Jack asked.

Gabriella smiled. She was happy that Jack had finally accepted her pregnancy.

"She's doing well. Giving mommy a stressful day, but otherwise, she's fine" Gabriella said.

Jack motioned for Gabriella to sit down.

"What's going on?" Jack asked.

"Dad, I need to talk to you about Troy" Gabriella started.

"What about him?" Jack asked.

"He was telling me that he wasn't going to play in the championship game, if you make it, because I will be nine months pregnant. I told him that he needs to play and he said no. But dad, I really want him to play. Can't you make him?" Gabriella asked.

Jack smiled.

"I can try Gabi. But, you know as well as I do that he will say no" Jack said.

"I don't want him to not play because he's worried about me" Gabriella said.

"The thing he's worried about is you going into labor and him being in the middle of the game" Jack said.

"It may not happen though" Gabriella said.

"He's being cautious" Jack said.

Gabriella sighed.

"I will see what I can do okay?" Jack said.

Gabriella nodded.

"It doesn't mean I am going to make him, but he has to figure it out" Jack said.

Gabriella nodded. She said goodbye to the Boltons and drove home. Gabriella opened the front door and walked into the house. Troy looked up from his laptop and smiled.

"So what did he say?" Troy asked.

"He's going to talk to you" Gabriella said.

"Baby-" Troy started.

"Troy, if I go into labor during the game, then I go into labor during the game. By playing, it wouldn't increase or decrease those chances" Gabriella said.

"I just want to be ready. When I am playing, that's not what I am going to be thinking about. If it happens, then it's going to be crazy" Troy said.

"You don't think of me when you play anymore?" Gabriella asked.

"Brie, I do. But, not the entire time. If I am playing, I am focused completely on playing" Troy explained.

"So what are we going to do?" Gabriella asked.

"We have to come up with a plan. It could happen any time in that month" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"That is, if I play" Troy added.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"You will play" Gabriella said.

"But-" Troy started.

"Troy, it's your championship game. You need to play. Who knows what will happen next year? You could not be playing" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I'll think about it, okay?" Troy said.

"That's all I wanted" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you. I just wanted you to play one last time" Gabriella said wrapping her arms around her boyfriend.

"I love you too and I know you do baby. But, this isn't about you or I. It depends on her and if she wants to share the fun with daddy" Troy said putting his hand on Gabriella's stomach.

Gabriella giggled.

"I won't be having fun" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I said that I will think about it" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. A week later, the couple was sitting in the waiting room of Dr. Hart's office for Gabriella's five month check-up.

"Do you have work tonight?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded.

"Can't you stay home?" Gabriella asked.

"I wish I could babe. But, we have to start saving" Troy said.

"You are barely home anymore" Gabriella said.

"I am home. You are just asleep when I do come home" Troy said.

"It's not my fault" Gabriella said.

"I never said it was" Troy said.

Gabriella entwined her swollen fingers with Troy's. Troy smiled. He knew that the last week has hard on Gabriella. Her body had become fuller and she had gained a lot more weight. Troy knew that all she wanted was for him to be home with her. After a moment of silence, Troy finally spoke.

"I'm off Friday. Maybe we could start figuring out her name" Troy suggested.

Gabriella nodded.

"Hey" Troy said looking at Gabriella.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"I'm not working so many hours to try to get away from you Brie. We need the money and in order to do that, I need to work" Troy said.

"I know. I just need you. I want you to be home. Yeah, having mom at home when you go to work is fine and all, but she's not you" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I know sweetheart. When did we start talking like we are married?" Troy asked.

Gabriella smiled and put her hand on her expanding stomach.

"When we found out we were having a baby" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"But back to what you were saying, I understand that you want me to be home. But having a baby at seventeen wasn't part of the plan. We are lucky that we are still in school" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Tonight when I get off work, we can watch a movie or something. I promise" Troy said.

"If I am not asleep" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He had been coming home from work later than usual and would often come home to Gabriella already asleep.

"If you aren't asleep. But, you do need sleep" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. A nurse came into the waiting room and called Gabriella's name. The couple stood up and followed the nurse into a room where Gabriella's vitals were taken. They then went into an exam room and the nurse had told Gabriella to change into a gown. The nurse left the room and Gabriella changed into the gown and sat on the exam table.

"You look a lot bigger in a gown" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy with tears in her eyes. Troy slapped himself mentally for that comment.

"No baby. I mean that in a good way. I just meant that your belly looked like it had grown more when you had a gown on as opposed to just being in regular clothes" Troy said.

"Just stop talking please" Gabriella said.

"I'm sorry Brie. I didn't mean for it to come out like that" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"Can you not say stuff like that please?" Gabriella asked.

"I'm sorry. Forgive me please?" Troy asked.

Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips.

"Be sensitive with me babe" Gabriella said.

"I know. How about this? Baby girl looks like she has grown a lot. Is that better?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy smiled slightly. He leaned in and was an inch away from Gabriella's face.

"I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too. Be sensitive Troy" Gabriella mumbled.

"I will try to be. I'm sorry baby" Troy said softly.

There was a knock on the door and Dr. Hart came into the room.

"Hi guys, how are you feeling Gabriella?" Dr. Hart asked.

"Okay, hormonal. But, okay" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"You ready to see your baby?" Dr. Hart asked.

Gabriella nodded. She lied back on the exam table and Dr. Hart turned on the ultrasound and waited for it to heat up. An hour later, the couple walked into the house and went upstairs to their bedroom. Gabriella sat on the bed and looked at Troy, who was getting ready for work.

"At least she is healthy" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled slightly. He stopped what he was doing and walked over to Gabriella. Gabriella looked at her boyfriend and wrapped her arms around him. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I have to go baby" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed and nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly one last time. He then kneeled down and lifted Gabriella's shirt and kissed her bump softly.

"Bye sweetheart. Daddy will be back soon. I promise" Troy said to his unborn daughter.

Gabriella smiled. Troy let go of Gabriella's shirt and watched it fall over her expanding stomach. He stood up.

"Just a few hours okay?" Troy said.

"Hurry home please" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I will baby" Troy said.

Troy left the house. A couple hours later, Troy walked into the bedroom and saw Gabriella in bed, sleeping. He sighed. Troy took his shirt off and walked into the bathroom and took a shower. Twenty minutes later, Troy emerged from the bathroom and climbed into bed. He wrapped his arms around Gabriella, who unwrapped his arms from her.

"Babe, I'm sorry for being late" Troy said.

Gabriella turned over and looked at Troy.

"You promised" Gabriella said.

"I know I did. I'm sorry" Troy said.

"Troy" Gabriella started.

"I know you are mad so you don't need to tell me" Troy said.

"Make love to me" Gabriella said.

"Brie, you know-" Troy started.

"I know the rules. But, it's late and mom is asleep. Make love to me and I will forgive you" Gabriella said.

"You are giving me an ultimatum?" Troy asked.

Gabriella raised her eyebrow.

"It won't hurt her?" Troy asked placing his hand on Gabriella's stomach.

"I read about it and it won't. But, we need to be careful" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed. He took off his pants and started taking Gabriella's clothes off. Troy sat looking down at Gabriella.

"If I hurt you-" Troy started.

"I will tell you" Gabriella finished.

"What if-" Troy started.

"Troy, relax. Please, just make love to me" Gabriella said softly.

Troy started removing Gabriella's clothes and got down to her underwear. He slowly pulled them down. Troy looked at Gabriella nervously.

"If I hurt you Brie, I will never forgive myself" Troy said.

"You aren't going to" Gabriella said.

Troy took a deep breath and entered Gabriella and heard her moan. The couple made love for the first time since Gabriella got pregnant. Two hours later, the couple had taken a shower and was changing into their pajamas.

"I didn't hurt you right?" Troy said.

"No Troy. We are fine. I promise" Gabriella said placing her hand on her stomach.

"If I did, please don't keep it to yourself" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Baby, you didn't hurt me or her. Relax okay?" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I just am trying to be cautious" Troy said.

"I know you are. Thanks for being cautious" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. Troy lifted Gabriella into his arms and she wrapped her arms and legs around him. He walked to the bed and placed her gently onto it. Gabriella smiled.

"It felt really good baby. I think she liked it too" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I think you need to get some sleep" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded tiredly. Troy carefully tucked Gabriella into bed and kissed her forehead softly. He then got into bed and Gabriella snuggled into his side as close as she could. She then placed her head on Troy's chest.

"Night baby. I love you" Troy said.

"Night. I love you too" Gabriella said.

The next morning, the couple got up and got ready for school. They walked downstairs and saw Maria sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and her laptop.

"Good morning. You have a late night last night?" Maria asked.

Gabriella froze. Troy looked at Gabriella and his eyes widened.

"If you were trying to be quiet, you were not" Maria said.

"Mom I can explain" Troy started.

"When Troy moved in, we talked about the rules. You broke one" Maria said.

"Mom, I'm pregnant" Gabriella said.

"I understand Gabriella. But, you don't need to be having sex at seventeen and when you are five months pregnant in my house" Maria said.

"Is everyone going to stop rubbing it in that I'm seventeen and having a baby? Can't one person be on my side?" Gabriella asked walking out of the house.

Troy sighed and looked at Maria.

"You know the rules, Troy. Let this be a warning to you both" Maria said.

"Sorry mom" Troy said.

Troy walked out of the house and looked at Gabriella.

"What did she say to you?" Gabriella asked.

"We have been warned" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"So am I forgiven about last night?" Troy asked as they got into the car.

Gabriella smiled.

"Yeah, just please come home at a decent time" Gabriella said.

"I'll try Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy drove to school and parked his car. A couple hours later, the bell had rung signaling that is was free period. Troy walked over to Gabriella's locker.

"Hey bug" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at her boyfriend and smiled. She wrapped her arms around Troy. Troy put his arm around Gabriella and his free hand on her stomach.

"I want to go home" Gabriella mumbled.

"Why? What's wrong baby?" Troy asked.

"I just have cramps and they are really uncomfortable and I don't feel like sitting in class with them" Gabriella said quietly.

"Mom is at work and I have a game today baby. I can't take you home" Troy said.

Troy couldn't leave during the school day of a basketball game because he wouldn't be allowed to play.

"So then what am I going to do? Will Dad let me sleep in his office?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled.

"Possibly. Do you want me to go ask?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Alright sweetheart" Troy said.

The couple walked to Jack Bolton's office and talked to him about Gabriella staying in his office for the remainder of the school day and during the game and he agreed. An hour later, Troy was dressed in his uniform and walked into the office and checked on Gabriella, who was sound asleep. He kneeled down in front of his girlfriend.

"Brie" Troy called.

Gabriella opened her eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Not getting any better?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head tiredly.

"I talked to mom and she said that she can pick you up in an hour" Troy said holding his phone.

"I don't want to leave you" Gabriella said.

"Baby, I know you don't. But if you don't feel well, maybe mom should take you home" Troy said smoothing Gabriella's hair back.

"I just don't want to leave you" Gabriella said.

"What are you going to do in here babe? I won't be in here. I will be out there playing" Troy said pointing to the gym.

Gabriella shrugged.

"I'm going to call mom and tell her to pick you up. You will be much more comfortable in our bed" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed and gave in and nodded. Troy smiled.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"Alright, let me call her and tell her to come get you" Troy said.

Troy called Maria and told her to pick Gabriella up when she could. An hour later, Troy walked Gabriella to Maria's car and helped her get in. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"Call me if they get worse please" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too baby. Take a nap when you get home. I'll come home as soon as I can" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded tiredly. A couple hours later, Troy came home to Maria walking upstairs.

"Mom, what's happening with Brie?" Troy asked.

"Her cramps are getting worse she says" Maria said.

Troy walked upstairs and followed Maria into the bedroom. Gabriella had tears in her eyes. Troy kneeled in front of Gabriella and smoothed her hair back.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"I need to go to the hospital" Gabriella cried.

Troy swallowed hard and looked up at Maria. He didn't know what was going to happen, but what he did know is that he was scared to death.


	9. When Plans Change

An hour later, Gabriella was in a hospital room waiting to get checked out. She looked at Troy and offered her hand to Troy, who looked more nervous than she did.

"Troy, just hold my hand" Gabriella said.

Troy took Gabriella's hand in his.

"Are they better or worse?" Troy asked.

"The same. What if something is wrong?" Gabriella asked.

"If something is wrong Gabi, you are in the perfect place to find out what is going on" Maria said.

Gabriella looked at Troy nervously.

"I'm scared" Gabriella said.

"I know you are Brie. But, mom and I are here" Troy said smoothing her hair back.

There was a knock on the door and Dr. Brand came into the room.

"Hi Gabriella, what happened?" Dr. Brand asked.

"I have been having really bad cramps. I was sitting in class and that is when they started. I came home after school and lied down and they got worse" Gabriella said.

Dr. Brand nodded.

"I want to do an exam. Do you-" Dr. Brand started.

"My mom can stay" Gabriella said.

Maria smiled slightly.

"Okay. Can you spread your legs apart for me?" Dr. Brand asked.

Gabriella spread her legs apart and reached for Troy's hand, who took it quickly. Dr. Brand smiled at the couple.

"Gabriella, honey, listen to me okay? You did everything right by coming home and coming to the hospital. Don't think that you didn't. Take a deep breath for me" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella took a shaky, deep breath and tears ran down her face.

"Gabi, everything is going to be fine. Don't worry" Maria said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek softly. Gabriella took a deep breath and looked at Dr. Brand, who smiled sympathetically.

"I know you are scared. I am going to go ahead with my exam okay? If you feel uncomfortable, let me know" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella nodded tearfully. Dr. Brand washed her hands and put latex gloves on and examined Gabriella, who had closed her eyes shut and was trying not to cry from fear and the pain of the cramps. Troy made a line of small kisses from the top of Gabriella's head all the way down to her neck, in hopes to relax her. A couple moments later, Dr. Brand looked up and smiled.

"Gabriella, I think the stress of everything that is going on is what caused the cramps. But, I am also going to do an ultrasound okay?" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Is she okay?" Gabriella asked.

"From your exam, there is nothing that is wrong. No inflammation or anything like that. Your blood pressure is a little high but I am assuming it is because all of this is going on and that is perfectly okay. So right this second, I think she is okay. But, let me do an ultrasound just to make sure" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella nodded. Dr. Brand waited for the ultrasound to heat up and then raised Gabriella's gown above her bellybutton and picked up a bottle of gel and squeezed some of the product onto Gabriella's stomach. She then took a wand and moved the gel around and looked at the screen.

"There's your baby girl" Dr. Brand said pointing to the screen.

Gabriella, Troy, and Maria smiled.

"She's gotten so big" Maria said.

Gabriella smiled.

"You haven't come in a while. You haven't seen her" Gabriella said.

Maria nodded and wiped a few tears that were running down her face.

"Is she okay, Dr. Brand?" Troy asked.

Dr. Brand moved the wand around Gabriella's stomach and looked at the screen again.

"From what I can see, yes. I think that the stress of everything finally got to you, Gabriella. When do you go on maternity leave?" Dr. Brand asked.

"I'm not until I absolutely have to. I need to finish school" Gabriella said.

"See, that, is something that needs to be addressed. Gabriella, you are five months pregnant. I understand that you want to finish school. I get it. But, you are carrying a human life inside of you and you need to take care of it. That is your job. I think that you need to go on maternity leave as soon as possible. You need to rest" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella looked at her mother and Troy.

"Baby, you need to rest" Troy repeated.

"Gabi, Dr. Brand wouldn't tell you to do something unless it was absolutely necessary. Too much stress on the baby could make you go into labor early and you really don't want that" Maria said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I guess I'm going on maternity leave" Gabriella said solemnly.

Dr. Brand smiled sympathetically.

"I know that you don't want to. But, it's the best thing for your daughter right now" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I'll start processing the discharge papers and then you can leave" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella nodded. Dr. Brand put her hand on Gabriella's shoulder.

"I know that you are only sixteen, Gabriella. But, this is something that needs to be dealt with in a mature manner" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella blinked. Dr. Brand shook Troy's hand and left the room.

"Gabs" Troy started.

"Just don't say anything please" Gabriella said looking at Troy with tears in her eyes.

"Mom, can I-" Troy started.

"I'll be in the waiting room" Maria finished.

"Thanks" Troy said.

Maria left the room. Troy looked at his pregnant girlfriend.

"Brie, look at me" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy with tears in her eyes.

"School is my life, Troy" Gabriella said with tears running down her face.

"I know it is baby. But, remember when this all started? We need to make adjustments in our lives if we want this to work. If we want to keep the baby, then we need to do that" Troy said softly.

Gabriella's lips quivered.

"I know that you don't want to leave school. But, this is what is best for you and for our daughter, Gabriella" Troy said.

"I just didn't think that it would be this hard" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I understand sweetheart. I really do. I want you to stay in school too. But, getting overly tired and having cramps during school is not something I want you to have to go through. You should be at home...in our bed, resting" Troy explained.

"Can you bring me my homework?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled slightly.

"I'll see what I can do. But, for right now, focus on the baby. Don't focus on anything else but her" Troy said putting his hand on Gabriella's bump.

Gabriella nodded sadly. Troy put his finger under Gabriella's chin.

"I am only saying this because I love you both so so much. I don't want anything to happen to either of you okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She wrapped her arms around Troy and released the tears that she had been holding in. Troy rubbed her back and kissed her shoulder.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He pulled back and looked at Gabriella.

"You will be home right after school?" Gabriella asked.

"If I don't have work" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. An hour later, Gabriella was discharged and home in bed. Troy was getting ready for work. He walked out of the bathroom and looked at Gabriella, who was curled up in a ball and reading her chemistry notes. Troy smiled. He lied down next to Gabriella.

"Are you sure you are going to be okay? I can ask for the day off, Brie. Chuck will-" Troy started.

"I'm fine. I just need some time to adjust and a little alone time" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly and nodded. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. Gabriella kissed him back and put her hand on Troy's cheek. Troy pulled away slowly and smiled. He then pulled up Gabriella's shirt, exposing her five month pregnant belly and smiled. Troy leaned down and kissed Gabriella's stomach softly.

"Cut your mommy a little slack, baby girl. I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. Troy looked up and smiled at his girlfriend.

"I'll be home before you go to sleep, I promise. I will explain the situation to Chuck" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy pulled Gabriella's shirt down and back in place.

"I got to go. I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy left the room. A couple hours later, Troy came home to Gabriella making herself a snack. He smiled when he saw her dressed in one of his old t-shirts, that were large on her and hit her knees. Troy walked up behind Gabriella and placed his hands on both sides of Gabriella's bump.

"What is the poison tonight?" Troy asked.

Gabriella smiled.

"Peanut butter and chicken sandwich" Gabriella said.

Troy raised his eyebrow.

"I hope this one is edible" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled.

"You don't have to eat it" Gabriella said.

"I don't want you to have to eat weird meals alone. I got you pregnant" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She handed Troy a plate with the sandwich and then picked up her own. The couple walked to the table and sat down. Gabriella took a bite of her sandwich and smiled.

"Mm" Gabriella said licking the peanut butter off her lip.

Troy smiled.

"Good?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"She likes it" Gabriella said.

Troy took a bite and cringed a little, but swallowed what was in his mouth. Gabriella giggled.

"You don't have to eat what I crave" Gabriella said.

"I want to" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Thanks for coming home before I went to bed" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"After what happened today, I know that you needed me to be here" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I do and I appreciate it" Gabriella said.

The couple finished their food and placed their dishes in the dishwasher.

"I finished my homework. Can you turn everything in to my teachers tomorrow?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes I can. Did you take a nap?" Troy asked.

"A little one" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy's neck.

"I know that you are upset still and that is completely okay Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella rested her head against Troy's chest and nodded.

"Can I still go to your games?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled.

"If mom goes with you" Troy said.

"I want you to be able to at least feel like you are normal. If I'm not at your game, then it won't feel like everything is going to be okay" Gabriella said.

"You don't have to worry about that sweetheart. You being at my games is a bonus. You and our baby being healthy, that is the goal" Troy said.

"I want to be there" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"So what did you do while I was working?" Troy asked.

"I finished my homework and took a little nap. Then I got hungry and that is when you walked in. Boring day" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Maybe you should take a bath. Soothe your aching muscles?" Troy suggested,

Gabriella smiled.

"Have you been reading again?" Gabriella asked.

Troy squeezed his index finger and thumb together.

"Little bit" Troy said.

Gabriella kissed Troy's cheek.

"But seriously, go upstairs and take a bath. Relax. You are supposed to be relaxing" Troy said.

"I know. I was just waiting until you got home" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips softly and then went upstairs to take a bath. An hour later, Gabriella emerged from the bathroom and smiled when she saw that Troy was sitting on the balcony. She put on a sweater and walked out and sat next to him. Gabriella leaned her head against Troy's shoulder.

"We are going to be parents in four months" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Can I ask you a serious question?" Gabriella asked.

"Anything" Troy said.

"If down the line, you found someone else, would you leave everything behind?" Gabriella asked.

Troy looked at Gabriella and saw her nervous expression.

"No. If we broke up, and I am speaking hypothetically here. I would want to be in our daughter's life still. I'm still going to be her dad. I would still respect you because you are her mother. Where did that come from baby?" Troy asked.

"I just-I just have been thinking a lot. I don't want you to feel tied down or anything. But, I also wouldn't want our daughter to not have a dad" Gabriella said.

Troy licked his lips before he responded.

"I love you Gabriella and I will always love you. You are my first and only love. My best friend. There is no way that I would ever feel like that. I'm always going to be her dad and you will always be her mom" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded and wiped a tear that was running down her face.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly, but passionately. Gabriella pulled away and closed her eyes. She put her hand on her stomach.

"You okay?" Troy asked concerned.

"I think I'm getting cramps again" Gabriella said.

"I wish I could take the pain away" Troy said.

Gabriella entwined her fingers with Troy's.

"We are going to be okay" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly and nodded.

"Come on, let's get you in bed. Just because you don't have to go to school doesn't mean you can stay up" Troy said standing up.

Troy held out his hands for Gabriella to take. She took Troy's hands and he helped her to a standing position.

"I want ice cream" Gabriella said.

Troy raised his eyebrow.

"Now? It's kind of late baby" Troy said.

"Troy, your daughter wants it" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed.

"Pulling the daughter card on me...that's going to be an issue. Alright, what flavor do you want?" Troy asked.

Gabriella told Troy what flavor she wanted and he left the house to go get Gabriella's sweet treat. Twenty minutes later, Troy walked into the house and was met with Maria.

"Hey, you get off work late?" Maria asked.

"No. Gabs was craving ice cream" Troy said.

Maria smiled.

"Oh cravings...I remember them well" Maria said.

"She made me eat some weird things so I am happy that she wanted something normal this time" Troy said.

Maria smiled.

"Good luck" Maria said.

"Thanks" Troy said.

Troy walked upstairs and went into the bedroom and handed Gabriella the tub of ice cream that she had asked for. Gabriella took a spoonful and put it in her mouth and closed her eyes and smiled.

"Thank you baby. You are the best" Gabriella said leaning in and kissing Troy's lips.

"Just doing my job" Troy said.

Gabriella put her hand on her bump.

"How are the cramps?" Troy asked.

"Off and on" Gabriella said.

Troy took his shirt and pants off and got into bed. He opened his mouth and Gabriella put a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. Troy closed his mouth and swallowed.

"Other than cramps, how are you feeling?" Troy asked putting his hand on Gabriella's stomach.

"I'm fine" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He leaned down and pulled Gabriella's shirt up and kissed her bump.

"Love you baby girl" Troy said.

Gabriella finished her ice cream and handed Troy the tub. He smiled and put it into the freezer in the kitchen. Troy came back upstairs and saw Gabriella sitting up in bed. He got into bed.

"What are you going to do tomorrow with your free time at home?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shrugged.

"I don't know. Can I come to practice tomorrow and watch?" Gabriella asked.

"I don't know baby. You are supposed to be resting" Troy said.

"But, you and dad will be there" Gabriella said.

"I know we will be Brie. But, I just want you to be relaxing" Troy said.

"Please?" Gabriella asked.

Troy took a deep breath and released it.

"I'll think about it" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"That doesn't mean no. I just want to think about it okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"Get some sleep" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She snuggled as close as she could into Troy's chest and fell asleep. The couple was learning that keeping their relationship stable and going through pregnancy was not going to be easy.


	10. Break Ups and Make Ups

The next afternoon, Troy was in the middle of basketball practice when Gabriella came into the gym and sat in the bleachers. Troy had made his decision and he didn't want to have Gabriella sit in the bleachers for three hours while he was doing drills. The wildcats were taking a water break when Jack noticed Gabriella.

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked.

"Alright. How's Troy?" Gabriella asked motioning to her boyfriend.

"He told me that you had asked to come to practice and he said no" Jack said.

Gabriella nodded.

"He's going to be upset that you didn't follow what he told you to do" Jack said.

"What am I going to do at home dad? I've slept, done my homework, and ate everything in the kitchen. What else am I supposed to do?" Gabriella asked.

Troy had taken a sip of water and dropped his water bottle when he saw Gabriella talking to Jack. He walked over to them and looked at Gabriella.

"What are you doing here? I thought we had agreed that you weren't going to come" Troy said.

"I was bored at home" Gabriella said.

"Gabs-" Troy started.

Jack looked at his son and was curious on how he was going to handle this situation.

"Troy, I'm fine. I just want to sit and watch" Gabriella said.

"We talked about this last night. I said no" Troy said.

Troy turned his back and started walking back to the wildcats when he heard Gabriella say something that broke his heart.

"Are you ashamed of me? Is that why you don't want me here?" Gabriella asked.

Troy froze. He took a deep breath and turned around and looked at Gabriella. Troy walked back to Gabriella and his dad.

"Gabriella, how can you even say that? You know that I want you here as much as you want to be here" Troy said.

"Just say it. I know you want to" Gabriella said.

Jack looked at Gabriella and then at Troy.

"Can you go home please?" Troy asked simply.

Troy walked away and Gabriella looked at Jack.

"Dad-" Gabriella started.

"Don't even worry about it sweetheart. Don't worry. I will handle this. Everything in that head of his is just exploding. Why don't you go to see Lucille and relax over there okay? I will handle Troy" Jack said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I didn't do anything wrong" Gabriella said.

"I know you didn't Gabi. Let me handle him okay?" Jack said.

Gabriella nodded and hugged her "second father".

"Thanks for being supportive throughout this pregnancy, dad. I know that it hasn't been easy" Gabriella said.

Jack smiled.

"It hasn't, but you have both grown up a lot in the last five months. I'm proud of you both. I will always be here for you, Gabi. I may not be your biological dad, but I will be the dad that you need" Jack said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I'll let you get back to practice" Gabriella said.

Jack smiled and nodded.

"Love you Gabs" Jack said.

"Love you dad" Gabriella said.

Gabriella left the gym and East High and went to the Bolton home like Jack had told her to do. A couple hours later, Jack and Troy walked into the house.

"Where's Brie?" Troy asked.

"She's in your room, taking a nap. How could you be so rude Troy? All she wanted to do was sit and watch you play" Lucille said.

Troy put his hands up, surrendering.

"When I'm at practice, that's my time to relieve my stress. I'm about to be a father at seventeen, mom. I'm sorry that I can't be empathetic every moment of the day. I'm stressed out. I can't think. I don't even know what's going to happen in a year" Troy said raising his voice.

"Troy, you owe it to Gabriella. She is the one that has to walk around, pregnant. She is the one that needs to be loved by you. You both chose to have sex. Now, you have to live with the consequences. Do not blame her for wanting to spend time with you and you should never, ever feel ashamed of her" Jack said raising his voice.

Gabriella had woken up to Troy and Jack arguing. She stood in the middle step of the staircase and listened to the two men fight. Lucille looked up at the stairs and saw Gabriella, with tears running down her face. She walked up the stairs and brought Gabriella into Troy's room.

"Gabi, you weren't supposed to hear any of that" Lucille said.

Gabriella choked out a sob. Lucille wrapped her arms around Gabriella and let her cry into her arms.

"He hates me" Gabriella said.

"He doesn't hate you, Gabriella. He loves you to death and you know it. Troy is just trying to figure things out for himself. All the stress built up inside of him and he finally exploded. Unfortunately, he exploded at you and said some hurtful things" Lucille said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I'm going to go downstairs and see what is going on okay? I'll be right back" Lucille said.

Gabriella nodded. Lucille left the room. A half an hour later, Lucille returned and smiled.

"Sweetheart, come here" Lucille said.

"I don't want to talk to him" Gabriella said.

"Listen to what he has to say okay?" Lucille said.

Gabriella nodded. The two women walked downstairs and Troy was sitting in the living room. Gabriella walked into the living room and sat across from him. Troy's eyes were bloodshot red from crying.

"I'm sorry that I blew up the way I did. It wasn't right and you didn't deserve that. I just bottled up everything and I exploded. I know that it's been hard to deal with this pregnancy. I said a lot of things that I didn't mean and that I should have never said to you. I'm really sorry baby" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Lucille, and motioned for her to give them some privacy. Lucille left the room and Gabriella looked at Troy.

"To answer your question more in depth, I will never be ashamed of you Gabriella. I love you with all of my heart. We made a mistake. I'm just trying to figure all of this out, you know? I have been focusing on trying to calm you down and-" Troy started but was then interrupted.

"I don't want you to blame this all on me, Troy. I ruined your life. Just say that" Gabriella said with tears running down her face.

Troy looked at Gabriella, who was crying.

"I'm not blaming this on you, Gabs. I have been trying to make you feel better about this whole thing. I know that was the right thing to do. But, I also have to deal with this myself too" Troy said.

"Maybe we need to reevaluate everything" Gabriella said softly.

Troy nodded slightly.

"Just maybe we need some air and need time apart" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Gabriella and nodded.

"It's not that I don't love you, Troy. I just think that we need to figure this whole thing out and the only way we can do that, is to do it within ourselves first. I do love you and I have tried to when we got pregnant" Gabriella said with tears running down her cheeks.

Troy looked down at his fingers and released tears of his own.

"We just need a break" Gabriella said softly.

Troy sniffled and nodded.

"Troy, please say something" Gabriella said.

"If you think that we need time apart, then I will give you your space. But, I want to still know about doctor's appointments, hospital visits if you have any, and other things of that nature. Maybe we can reevaluate in a couple days or weeks" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I'm sorry" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"Don't be. You know that you can always tell me how you feel. You are still my best friend, Brie. I'm not going anywhere" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She stood up carefully and walked over to Troy and kissed his cheek.

"Um, I will see you soon then?" Gabriella asked shakily.

Troy nodded. Gabriella left the house and walked to hers. She opened the front door and walked into the house and closed the door. Gabriella slid down against the door and sat on the floor. She broke down. Every single emotion she felt about school, life, Troy, and the baby filled her brain. Gabriella choked out a sob. Maria heard Gabriella and dropped what she was doing and walked to where she heard Gabriella. She sat down next to her and took her into her arms and let her cry.

"I lost him" Gabriella cried repeatedly.

"You just need some time apart. Everything is going to be okay, Gabi. You will see" Maria said.

Maria kissed Gabriella's head softly. She rubbed her back as Gabriella tried to regain her composure. An hour later, Gabriella's sobs had turned into mumbled cries. Maria looked at her and smiled sympathetically.

"Why don't you go upstairs and put your pajamas on and get some rest okay? I will go talk to Lucille" Maria said.

Gabriella nodded. Maria stood up and held out her hands. Gabriella took her mother's hands and was lifted up. Maria and Gabriella walked upstairs, where Maria helped Gabriella change into her pajamas and tucked her into bed.

"Get some sleep baby" Maria said.

"Mom" Gabriella cried.

Maria looked at her daughter and smoothed her hair back.

"Tell him that I love him please" Gabriella said.

Maria nodded. She kissed Gabriella's head softly. Maria left the room and walked downstairs. She then left the house and drove to the Bolton home. Maria got out of the car and walked to the front door and rang the doorbell. Lucille opened the door and instantly hugged Maria.

"What happened?" Maria asked.

"All of the stress got to Troy during practice when Gabriella came to sit and watch. He fought with her and then it escalated. I tried to calm Troy down once he got home, but we left them to talk and that is when they broke it off" Jack explained.

"So what is the plan?" Lucille asked.

"I would like to talk to Troy, if you don't mind" Maria said.

Lucille and Jack shook their heads and Maria walked upstairs. She took a deep breath and knocked on Troy's door.

"I don't want to talk" Troy said through the door.

"Well, I do. Open the door Troy" Maria said.

Troy opened the door. His eyes were bloodshot red from crying and his body was shaking. Maria opened her arms and Troy walked into them.

"I-" Troy started.

"Troy, listen to me. You tried. That's all you could have done. I understand that it is a lot of stress to take on. I get that. I know that this is hard for you. But, this break is not going to last. You both just need time to think and that's okay" Maria said.

"I'm sorry if I hurt her" Troy said.

Maria smiled sympathetically.

"Your baby girl is what is making her stay strong. You just need to give each other some space and then maybe in a few days or weeks you can decided what you want to do" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"She also wanted me to tell you that she loves you" Maria said.

Troy nodded and swallowed hard.

"Tell her that I love her too" Troy said.

Maria hugged her "son".

"Get some sleep okay?" Maria said.

Maria nodded. She left the room and walked downstairs and looked at Lucille and Jack.

"In a couple days, they may want to talk. We need to let them" Maria said.

The couple nodded.

"Tell Gabi that we love her" Lucille said.

"I will" Maria said.

Maria left the house and drove home. She walked into the house and smiled when she saw Gabriella lying on the couch with her shirt above her stomach and her hands on her expanding bump. Maria sat next to Gabriella and smiled.

"What did he say?" Gabriella asked.

"He wanted me to tell you that he loves you too. I told him that you both need space for a couple days and maybe for a couple weeks" Maria said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I don't want to be alone in this, mom" Gabriella cried.

"You won't be sweetheart. Troy just needs some time, that's all" Maria said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Come on, let's get you in bed" Maria said.

The rest of the night, the couple slept in their own homes for the first time in five months. A couple days later, the doorbell rang. Gabriella opened the door and smiled slightly when she saw Troy standing in front of her.

"Hi" Troy said.

"Hi" Gabriella said.

"Can we talk?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded and he walked into the house. The couple walked into the living room and sat down.

"Thanks for giving me some time to think" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"That's what you wanted right?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah. I've been thinking a lot the last couple of days and I owe you an apology" Troy said.

Gabriella shook her head.

"You don't need to apologize for that, Troy. You needed time to process that I'm pregnant with your daughter. There is no apology needed for that" Gabriella said.

"I just needed some time to think and to process everything. Now that I have a clearer head, I know that I can do this. _We_ can do this. I love you and our baby girl so much, Gabs. You have to believe that" Troy said.

"I believe it. I know that it's been hard on you, Troy. Can you please come back?" Gabriella asked as tears ran down her face.

Troy nodded as tears ran down his own face. He opened his arms and Gabriella moved into them. The couple cried in each other's arms. Troy pulled away and looked at Gabriella.

"I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy put his hand on Gabriella's bump and smiled. Gabriella put her hand on top of Troy's. A couple weeks later, Gabriella was six months pregnant. She got up one morning and had a strong urge to bake. Gabriella walked downstairs and went into the kitchen and started baking. She didn't know what exactly she was making but, she knew it would satisfy her craving. Twenty minutes into Gabriella's baking session, Troy came downstairs, shirtless and walked into the kitchen. He smiled at the sight of Gabriella with flour on her cheek.

"What are we doing?" Troy asked.

"You are going to school and I am finishing a creation" Gabriella said.

"I can't taste this baking creation that you have put so much time into?" Troy asked.

Gabriella looked at Troy blankly.

"You don't like my creations" Gabriella said with air quotes around creations.

Troy smiled.

"But I eat them anyway" Troy said kissing Gabriella's cheek quickly.

"Maybe when you get home" Gabriella said.

"Don't make me go please. I want to stay home and bake with you" Troy whined.

"I really hope our daughter doesn't whine like a seventeen year old boy" Gabriella said.

Troy raised his eyebrows.

"Mood swings are so much fun" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned down and kissed Gabriella's bump.

"I love you sweetheart. Be good for mommy" Troy said putting his hand on Gabriella's bump.

"Woah" Gabriella said putting her hand on her bump.

"What? What's wrong?" Troy asked worriedly.

Gabriella held her hand on her stomach and then looked at Troy and smiled.

"She kicked" Gabriella said.

"She what?" Troy asked.

"She kicked. They are supposed to start kicking at six months" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He put his hand on top of Gabriella's and looked at her when he felt his daughter kick his hand.

"Now I really don't want to go to school" Troy said.

"Go to school. Maybe if I feel sorry for you, I will come during practice" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Fine" Troy said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's lips one last time and left the house. Gabriella smiled. Troy had been really good about sharing his feelings about the baby with Gabriella since their fight. Gabriella walked upstairs and took a shower. Twenty minutes later, Gabriella came downstairs and saw Maria pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Mom, she kicked" Gabriella said.

"Really?" Maria asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Right as Troy was leaving for school" Gabriella said.

Maria smiled and motioned for Gabriella to come closer. She put her hand on Gabriella's bump and felt the baby kick her hand. Maria smiled.

"I remember when you first kicked my hand. I cried" Maria said.

Gabriella hugged her mother and Maria wrapped her arms around her daughter. She kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"How are you feeling today?" Maria asked.

"I feel good. A little tired, but good. I might go to school and see Troy at practice" Gabriella said.

"Just be careful please, Gabi. You are six months pregnant" Maria said.

Gabriella nodded. A couple hours later, Gabriella arrived at East High earlier than she had originally planned to. She had gone to visit Jack in the gym and was going to surprise Troy in Ms. Darbus' class. Gabriella walked to Ms. Darbus' classroom and poked her head in and smiled. Ms. Darbus saw Gabriella from the corner of her eye and smile.

"Oh my goodness, Ms. Montez. You look like you are going to pop any day now" Ms. Darbus said.

Gabriella smiled. Troy looked up at Gabriella and smiled.

"I hope Mr. Bolton has been taking good care of you" Ms. Darbus said.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"She's in good hands, Ms. D. I promise" Troy said.

There were some people that were giggling and Gabriella knew that she should ignore it, but it did hurt.

"Mr. Bolton, I am assuming that Ms. Montez did not come all the way here just to visit me and her fellow classmates. You may be excused" Ms. Darbus said.

Troy smiled.

"Thanks Ms. D" Troy said getting up and picking up his backpack.

"Slut" someone in the back of the class mumbled.

That's when Troy lost it. He put down his backpack and looked at Ms. Darbus, looking at her for permission to lecture the class.

"Have you ever been pregnant at seventeen? No? Well, then let me tell you about it. Gabriella has been called various names, been laughed at, had to deal with a situation that she shouldn't of had to-" Troy started.

"Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Gabriella and held out his hand, motioning her to stop.

"Gabriella is the smartest girl I know and probably the smartest in this school. We made a mistake. Someone that is going through a hard time shouldn't have to deal with people like all of you, who continuously bother her about it. She should be able to be comfortable with going to school, after all it's her favorite place to be. So, every single person in this room should be ashamed of yourself for behaving in the way you have been towards her. She did nothing to you. So why do you need to do something to hurt her?" Troy said.

Silence filled the room. Troy took Gabriella's hand and waved goodbye to Ms. Darbus, who winked at them both. Troy knew that they were going to be okay, as long as they did it together.


	11. Ain't Nobodys Business

The couple walked out of the classroom and Gabriella looked at Troy.

"You okay?" Gabriella asked.

"I'm fine. It just makes me mad that everyone that called you a friend is now against you just because you got pregnant" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"You are here early" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I wanted to see Ms. D and visit dad" Gabriella said.

"You saw dad already?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, I went and saw him first and then I came here" Gabriella said.

"How was the drive?" Troy asked.

Gabriella sighed.

"I am getting too big to drive" Gabriella said putting her hand on her bump.

Troy smiled.

"Has she been kicking since I left?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, mom felt her kick" Gabriella said.

"What did she say about it?" Troy asked.

"She said that she remembered when I first kicked" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He was glad that Maria and Gabriella were talking about pregnancy.

"Can we go to our spot?" Gabriella asked.

"Sure" Troy said.

The couple walked upstairs to the rooftop garden and sat down on a bench.

"Maybe it was a bad idea to come to school today" Gabriella said.

"Baby, don't listen to what everyone is saying" Troy said.

"It's hard not to" Gabriella said.

"I know. But, your pregnancy is nobody's business but ours. We are handling it just fine. Don't listen to what people are saying about you because they don't know what you are going through" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She leaned her head against Troy's shoulder and entwined their fingers together.

"What do you think life with the baby will be like?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled.

"It's going to be hard, but we knew that from the beginning. I could see us in a small apartment and going to school" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I hope that I can go back to school" Gabriella said.

"You will baby. We just have to get settled with the baby and then we can figure all the school stuff out" Troy said.

"We will have to find daycare" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Both of us will have to start working" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"But we will be okay. It's going to be stressful at the beginning but once we get used to having her around, it will feel normal" Troy said.

"I'm sorry for putting you through everything that I have put you through" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Gabriella.

"If anyone should be sorry, it should be me. I should have made sure that the condom wasn't going to break. It's my fault" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled and put Troy's hand on her bump. Troy smiled when he felt his daughter kick his hand.

"Hi baby girl. I love you so much" Troy said.

"What are we going to name her?" Gabriella asked.

"I like the name Grace" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Grace Maria Montez" Troy said.

Gabriella shook her head.

"No. She's a Bolton and always will be. Grace Maria Bolton" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Do you like the name?" Troy asked.

"I love it. Do you?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, so our baby's name is Grace" Troy said.

"That was easier than I thought it was going to be" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"So what are you going to do until practice?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shrugged.

"Maybe go see the chemistry club" Gabriella said.

"And see Tay?" Troy asked.

Tears formed in Gabriella's eyes. She wrapped her arm around Troy's. Troy saw this and felt bad for bringing up Taylor.

"I'm sorry baby" Troy said.

"It's not your fault. It's just a mood swing" Gabriella said.

"It's more than a mood swing, Brie. You couldn't have predicted what was going to happen and her reaction. Don't feel bad sweetheart. It's not worth losing your energy over it" Troy said.

"It just hurts sometimes. I mean I am so thankful that I have you. But sometimes-" Gabriella started.

"Sometimes you need a girl best friend" Troy finished.

Gabriella nodded. Troy smiled and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"And that is okay" Troy said.

"It is?" Gabriella asked.

"Of course it is. You are going through something that I will never have to go through. Having your mom to talk to is great and all, but I understand that you would want to talk to someone your own age besides me" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"It just sucks because nobody I know has been pregnant and I feel like there isn't a lot of people to talk to besides our mothers" Gabriella said.

"I get it. But, you know that you can always talk to me" Troy said.

"I know" Gabriella said.

"I may not understand what's going on in there, but I can try my best to" Troy said placing his hand on Gabriella's bump.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"Thanks Troy. For coming back" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I'm always going to be here. Whether you love me or not" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled.

"I'll always love you" Gabriella said.

"Good. Because I will always love you and Grace" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips softly. The bell rang and Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Do you want me to walk you to dad's office?" Troy asked.

"No, I can go by myself. See you in a little bit" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's lips passionately and placed his hand on Gabriella's stomach and felt his daughter kick. He pulled away and smiled.

"You just don't stop do you Grace?" Troy asked Gabriella's bump.

Gabriella giggled and shook her head.

"Go. You will be late" Gabriella said.

"Alright. Love you" Troy said.

"Love you" Gabriella said.

Troy and Gabriella went their separate ways. An hour later, Troy walked into the locker room and smiled when he saw Gabriella sitting in his father's office, doing homework. Troy rolled his eyes playfully. He walked to the door of the office and stuck his head in.

"You would be doing homework when you are supposed to be on maternity leave" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I had to find something to do" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"How's the soccer player?" Troy asked.

"Still kicking. I kind of wish she would let me have a break though" Gabriella said putting her hand on her bump.

Troy smiled.

"It was cute when she first did it and now it's kind of annoying" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned down and kissed Gabriella's bump and felt Grace kick his nose.

"Hey, that wasn't very nice" Troy said putting his hand on his nose.

Gabriella giggled.

"I have to change and I will be out in a minute. Go on out to the gym" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy helped Gabriella stand up and watched her walk out of the locker room to the gym. A minute later, as promised, Troy came out of the locker room and smiled at Gabriella, who was continuing to do her homework in the bleachers. Jack looked at Troy.

"We aren't going to have another fight during practice are we?" Jack asked.

"Nope. I told her that she could come" Troy said.

Jack nodded. Troy started practice with the rest of the team. An hour later, Jack walked up to where Gabriella was sitting and sat next to her.

"Hi dad" Gabriella said.

"Hey, so this fight thing is really settled?" Jack asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"He told me that I could come and watch" Gabriella said.

"Good. How's my granddaughter doing?" Jack asked.

Gabriella smiled.

"She's good. She's kicking now" Gabriella said.

Jack smiled.

"A fighter like her mom" Jack said.

Gabriella giggled.

"Are you scared?" Jack asked.

"Petrified" Gabriella said.

"It's okay to be scared. I know that I was when Troy was born. Luc was a wreck" Jack said.

Gabriella nodded.

"But, she got through it" Jack said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"Have you figured out a name?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, we literally just put her name together an hour ago" Gabriella said.

"Am I allowed to know?" Jack asked.

"I'll have to ask Troy. We may not tell you until she's born" Gabriella said.

Jack smiled.

"Well, I have to get back to the boys. Sit tight" Jack said.

Gabriella nodded. Jack walked down the bleachers and started telling the wildcats the next drill to do. When practice ended, Troy walked up the stairs to where Gabriella was sitting in the bleachers.

"How are you doing?" Troy asked.

"Fine. She's kicking a lot" Gabriella said tiredly.

"You didn't take a nap today did you?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Come on, let's get you home" Troy said holding his hands out for Gabriella to take.

Gabriella took Troy's hands and he helped her up to a standing position. The couple walked out of the gym and went to Troy's car, Troy helped Gabriella get into his truck. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"Feeling okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded tiredly.

"She's just kicking a lot and not stopping" Gabriella said.

"Alright sweetheart" Troy said.

Troy closed the passenger seat door and went to the driver's side and got in. He smiled when he saw Gabriella already sleeping with a protective hand on her bump. Troy drove home and parked his car in the driveway. He looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"Baby" Troy said softly.

"Mm" Gabriella moaned in her sleep.

"Babe, we are home" Troy said.

Gabriella opened her eyes and looked around incoherently.

"Come on, let's go inside" Troy said.

The couple got out of the car and walked into the house and went upstairs to their room. Gabriella took her shirt off and changed into a pair of sweats that fit loosely around her waist. She got into bed and closed her eyes. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"Get some rest okay?" Troy said.

"Love you" Gabriella mumbled.

Troy smiled.

"I love you too baby girl" Troy said.

Troy picked out a pair of clothes and walked into the bathroom and took a shower. Twenty minutes later, Troy walked out of the bathroom and poked his head into the bedroom and made sure that Gabriella was still sleeping. He then walked downstairs and smiled when he saw Maria.

"Hey" Troy said sitting on the couch.

"How was school?" Maria asked.

"Fine. Gabs came to visit and to watch practice today" Troy said.

"How did that go?" Maria asked.

"Good. I think it exhausted her though. She's passed out upstairs" Troy said.

Maria smiled.

"Maybe that's just what she needed" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"We picked a name for her today" Troy said.

"Really? Do I get to know?" Maria asked.

Troy smiled.

"Grace Maria Bolton" Troy said proudly.

Maria smiled.

"It's beautiful" Maria said.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"I told her that she should have left the last name as Montez but she didn't want that. She wanted her to have my last name" Troy said.

Maria smiled.

"She wants you to know your daughter, Troy. That's a good thing" Maria said.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"Gabriella's dad-" Maria started.

"I know...I know and I understand that" Troy said.

"Gabriella's dad knew her but when he passed away, she was very young. She didn't know him as much as she should have" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"But she knows you will be there and that's why she wants your daughter to have your last name" Maria said.

"Makes sense. Thanks for telling me, mom" Troy said.

Maria smiled and nodded.

"I'm going to go check up on Gabs" Troy said.

"Okay" Maria said.

Troy walked upstairs and smiled when he saw Gabriella sitting up in bed, her shirt above her stomach, exposing her six month bump. He walked in and smiled. Troy saw that Gabriella was holding a book in one hand and the other was on her bump. He lied down next to Gabriella and smiled.

"What are we reading?" Troy asked.

Gabriella smiled.

"A book for Darbus. I'm reading to Grace. I read online that hearing the sound of your mother's voice soothes the baby" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I told mom her name" Troy said.

"You did?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded.

"I didn't know if you wanted to wait so I told her not to say anything to anyone" Troy said.

"We have to tell your parents" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"How was your nap?" Troy asked.

"Good. I was exhausted" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Well, you are farther along now. You are going to get tired easily" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Do you think going back to school is going to be hard? Today was rough" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Are we talking about what happened in Darbus' class today?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. She leaned her head against Troy's chest and Troy instinctively put his hand on her growing bump.

"Baby, you are not a slut. Those kids don't know anything that is happening. They just wanted to make you feel bad because they knew you were pregnant and scared" Troy said softly as he played with Gabriella's hair.

"I slept with my boyfriend. Not some random guy" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Brie, sweetheart. Let it go. I know you are upset. But, you need to let it go" Troy said.

"It hurts" Gabriella said.

"I know it does" Troy said

"It's not like I planned this" Gabriella said.

"I know. But babe, you need to let it go" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it.

"There you go. Don't worry about school or anything like that. Focus on Grace. That should be your main focus right now" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy smiled slightly.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Gabriella smiled and put her hand on her bump.

"She's kicking again" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. Gabriella took Troy's hand and placed it on her bump where Grace kicked her hand. Troy felt a kick come in contact with his hand and smiled.

"Hi Grace. It's daddy. I love you" Troy said kissing Gabriella's bump.

Gabriella smiled. She put her hand on top of Troy's.

"I can't wait until she's here" Troy said.

"Me too. Except for the pain part" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled sympathetically.

"I'll be with you and so will mom. You have all the support that you can get. You can do this Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. The couple relaxed around the house for the rest of the day. They couldn't wait until they got to meet their daughter.


	12. Joys Of A Teenage Pregnancy

A couple weeks later, Troy and Gabriella came home from Dr. Brand's office and went into the living room and sat down. Maria came into the room and smiled.

"How was Dr. Brand's?" Maria asked.

"Fine. Grace looks good and she is in a good position" Gabriella said.

"That's good" Maria said.

Gabriella nodded and handed her mother the sonogram. Maria looked at the sonogram and smiled.

"She's big" Maria said.

"Yeah, but Dr. Brand said that she is a normal size" Gabriella said.

Maria nodded.

"She also said that she may come early" Troy added.

"It's your first baby. They always say that your first comes early" Maria said.

"I'm going to go upstairs and take a nap. I'm really tired" Gabriella said.

"Okay baby. Let me know if you need anything" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded and walked upstairs. Troy looked at Maria.

"Are you getting nervous?" Maria asked.

"A little bit. But, I'm not as nervous as Brie is. She's been researching labor and birth like the internet is going to stop working" Troy said.

Maria smiled.

"Is she worried?" Maria asked.

"I am not going to push the discussion on her, but I think she's just scared about how this is going to go" Troy said.

Maria nodded.

"Maybe you both need to talk about it. That doesn't mean start an argument either" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"I'm going to go check on her" Troy said.

"Okay honey. And Troy?" Maria said.

Troy looked at Maria.

"Just talk about it with her" Maria said.

Troy nodded. He walked upstairs and went into the bedroom and saw Gabriella sleeping with her hand on her bump. Troy smiled and lied down next to her. Gabriella instantly snuggled as close as she could into Troy's chest. Troy then fell asleep. A couple hours later, Gabriella was sitting up in bed researching labor and birth. Troy opened his eyes slowly and looked around the room and saw Gabriella on her laptop.

"How long have you been up?" Troy asked.

"I woke up like twenty minutes ago" Gabriella said.

"Can I talk to you about something?" Troy asked sitting up.

"Is it bad? You sound serious" Gabriella said.

"No baby. It's not bad" Troy said getting up and closing the door.

Troy went back to the bed and lied down in his original spot.

"What is your plan for the birth?" Troy asked.

"I want you and mom-" Gabriella started.

"I know that part. What about pain meds or any of that stuff?" Troy asked.

"I don't want an epidural" Gabriella said.

"You don't?" Troy asked.

"No. I want to do this naturally" Gabriella said.

"Are you sure? You may change your mind" Troy said.

"I'm sure. I researched the hospital and people have said that their nurses help out a lot during labor. I called them and told them that this was our first baby and we didn't know what to expect or anything like that and they said that they will provide us with a nurse that stays the whole time that I am in labor and when I deliver" Gabriella said.

"But wouldn't you be in labor for a while? That nurse is going to stay the whole time?" Troy asked.

"They said that there is a main nurse and another one that will take over once the main one goes on her break" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"So in the room with us will be your mom, the nurse, Dr. Brand, you, and I" Troy said clarifying.

"Yes" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

"Does that sound okay?" Gabriella asked.

"If that is what you want, then I am all for it. It's you going through it. Not me" Troy said.

"I thought we were doing this together?" Gabriella asked innocently.

Troy sighed and looked at his girlfriend. Her hair was going in fifty different directions, her eyes had dark rings around them, and her breasts were engorged. He moved a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"We are baby. But, you are the one that is going to be in pain. I will be going through everything with you but I won't be in pain like you. That's what I meant sweetheart" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I want you to be comfortable. That's what I personally want for you" Troy said putting his hand over his heart.

"And I will be because you will be there" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"Alright. If you want to do it, then let's do it" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips softly.

"I want to feel my mistake" Gabriella said softly.

Troy's face softened.

"Brie" Troy said softly.

"Don't say it, Troy" Gabriella said her voice cracking.

Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella and rubbed her back as she cried. He kissed her head softly.

"That should never be a reason why you want to have a natural birth, Gabriella. That shouldn't even cross your mind" Troy said softly.

"But it does" Gabriella cried.

Troy didn't know how to respond to that so he continued to rub his girlfriend's back.

"Everything is going to be fine. I promise you" Troy said.

"It's my fault" Gabriella said.

"Gabriella, stop. This was both of our faults. It takes two to make a baby, Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest more.

"Back to what we were talking about. The fact that we had sex at seventeen shouldn't be a reason not to have pain meds" Troy said.

"I just don't think that I should just be sitting there with an epidural when I just ruined everything that I worked so hard for" Gabriella said.

"Then that is your choice. I can't tell you what you should or should not do, babe. But, the reasoning behind your decision shouldn't be the fact that you want to "feel your mistake". I'm not disagreeing with your choice. I just want you to think about this choice that you are about to make. Do you understand?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Take some time to think about it. We have three months until she comes so that is enough time to think about it" Troy continued.

Gabriella nodded. Troy put his hand on Gabriella's bump and felt his daughter kick his hand.

"Hi sweetheart" Troy said looking at Gabriella's stomach.

The rest of the day, the couple tried to figure out their plans for when Gabriella went into labor. A couple days later, Troy came home in the middle of the day and walked into the kitchen and saw Gabriella dressed in one of his shirts and quietly humming to herself. Troy leaned against the door frame and smiled.

"Is this what you do when nobody is home?" Troy asked scaring Gabriella in the process.

Gabriella turned around with her hand on her heart.

"You scared me. What are you doing home so early? It's only noon" Gabriella said looking at the clock on the oven.

"It's lunch and instead of going to sit with Chad and Zeke and talk about the girls that they have been sleeping with, I decided to come home for lunch. I picked up your favorite" Troy said holding up a takeout bag.

Gabriella smiled. She walked over to Troy and kissed his lips softly.

"That was nice of you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips again. The couple sat down and started eating.

"How are you feeling today?" Troy asked.

"Tired. I took a nap but I feel like it didn't even make a difference" Gabriella said.

"I think that's normal for someone that is six months pregnant" Troy said.

Gabriella shrugged as she took a bite of her food.

"She's pressing on my bladder too" Gabriella said.

"How do you know that?" Troy asked.

"Because I urinated all over myself earlier. I got scared and thought my water broke. I called Dr. Brand and she said that it wasn't my water" Gabriella said.

Troy tried not to laugh but couldn't help it.

"Troy, it's not funny" Gabriella said.

"I'm sorry baby. I can't help it" Troy chuckled.

Gabriella got up and walked upstairs. She slammed the bedroom door behind her. Troy sighed.

"It's just a mood swing" Troy said to himself.

Troy got up and walked upstairs. He went to Gabriella's bedroom and saw the door closed. Troy tried to turn the knob and saw that Gabriella had locked the door.

"Brie, I'm sorry baby. I didn't mean to make fun of you. All of this is new to me and so when you tell m e that sort of thing I can't help but to react in that way. Can you open the door please?" Troy asked through the door.

Maria came upstairs and looked at Troy, who was trying to talk to Gabriella through the door.

"What's going on?" Maria asked.

"Mood swing. I laughed at her for thinking her water had broken and she got upset" Troy explained to his "second mother".

Maria shook her head.

"Let me try" Maria said.

Troy stepped away from the door. Maria knocked on the door.

"Gabi, can you open the door please?" Maria asked.

"Only if Troy isn't standing in front of it" Gabriella said through the door.

Maria looked at Troy and raised her eyebrow.

"Why don't you go downstairs? I will talk to her" Maria said.

"I didn't mean to upset her, mom. I just didn't know-" Troy started.

"I understand Troy. Let me handle it" Maria said.

Troy nodded and walked downstairs. Once Troy was out of sight, Maria looked at her daughter's bedroom door.

"Gabi, he's downstairs. Can you open the door?" Maria asked.

Gabriella unlocked and opened the door. She had tears running down her face and her hand on her bump. Maria smiled sympathetically.

"Come on, let's talk okay? Mom to mom" Maria said motioning to Gabriella's room.

The two women walked into Gabriella's room and sat on Gabriella's bed. Gabriella leaned her head against her mother's shoulder.

"So tell me what happened" Maria said.

"About Troy?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah. Why are you upset at him?" Maria asked.

"I was telling him what had happened today and he started to laugh" Gabriella said.

"What happened today?" Maria inquired.

"I urinated on myself. All over, mom. I got scared because I thought my water broke and no one was home. I called Dr. Brand she said that it wasn't my water" Gabriella said with tears in her eyes.

Maria nodded and rubbed her daughter's back.

"I don't want to be pregnant any more. I'm tired of it" Gabriella said.

Maria smiled.

"I know you don't. But in three months, when you have your baby girl in your arms, you will tell yourself that it was worth it" Maria said.

"I urinated on myself" Gabriella repeated.

"It happens Gabi and it's completely normal. She's pressing against your bladder. You used to do that all the time when I was pregnant with you" Maria said.

"Really?" Gabriella asked.

Maria nodded.

"All the time. Troy didn't know how to react sweetheart and that's why he started laughing. He didn't mean to laugh. He's never been through this before and didn't know that these types of things happen when you are pregnant" Maria said.

"I just didn't think he would laugh at me. It made me feel like a freak that can't control myself" Gabriella said.

Maria nodded and smoothed her daughter's hair back and kissed her head.

"You aren't a freak, Gabi. Troy is learning about this too. He's going through this with you. He knows the same amount of information about pregnancy that you do. You can't be mad at him completely" Maria said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I know" Gabriella said.

"Do you want me to send him up here to talk to you?" Maria asked.

Gabriella nodded. Maria smiled.

"Okay. Call me if you need me" Maria said.

"Thanks mom" Gabriella said.

Maria kissed Gabriella's cheek.

"Don't thank me. I know what you are going through Gabi and I know that it's not easy" Maria said.

Gabriella nodded. Maria left the room. A couple minutes later, there was a knock on Gabriella's bedroom door.

"You can come in" Gabriella said knowing who it was.

Troy opened the door and looked at Gabriella.

"I'm sorry for making fun of you" Troy said.

"It's okay" Gabriella said.

Troy walked over to the bed and lied down next to Gabriella.

"I just didn't know that that's the kind of thing that happens and I was scared and embarrassed" Gabriella continued.

"I know baby and me laughing didn't make you feel any better about it. I'm really sorry" Troy said.

"It's okay" Gabriella said.

"I didn't know that she can make you do that either" Troy said.

"It's embarrassing" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled sympathetically.

"At least you were in the privacy of your own home and not at school" Troy said.

"Yeah, but even at home it's embarrassing" Gabriella said.

Gabriella wrapped her arms around her boyfriend and inhaled his cologne and instantly relaxed.

"She's pressing on your bladder you said?" Troy clarified.

Gabriella nodded against Troy's chest. Troy put his hand on Gabriella's bump and felt Grace kicking his hand.

"Hey, soccer player. Don't beat up your mom" Troy mumbled.

Gabriella giggled.

"I don't want to be pregnant anymore" Gabriella said softly.

"I know you don't baby. But, it's almost over" Troy said.

Gabriella tightened her grip around her boyfriend.

"But then the pain starts" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I'll be with you the whole time. I promise" Troy said.

"I'm just scared. Like really, really, scared" Gabriella said sitting up in Troy's lap.

Troy nodded.

"I know sweetheart. But, you have mom and I to help you through it" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded and put her hand on her bump.

"I also don't want us to fall apart" Gabriella said.

"We won't. It's going to be tough at the beginning but we will get the hang of everything and we will be fine. We talked about this" Troy said.

"I know. I just think about it a lot" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"We are going to be okay, baby. Don't worry" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy looked down at Gabriella's stomach. He smiled when he felt Grace kick his stomach, which was in front of Gabriella's.

"I love you too baby" Troy said kissing Gabriella's bump.

Troy looked at the time on his phone and sighed.

"I have to get back to school. I'll come home as soon as I am off work okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed Gabriella's lips softly. Gabriella got off Troy and the couple walked downstairs to the front door.

"Call me if you need anything" Troy said.

"I will" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's lips one more time and left the house. That night, Troy came home and saw Maria reading a book in the living room.

"Hi mom" Troy said.

Maria looked up and smiled.

"Hi Troy. Are you always covered in oil when you get off work?" Maria asked.

Troy looked at his hands that had been stained by the oil and looked up.

"Basically. Is Brie awake or did she go to bed?" Troy asked.

"She's taking a bath. She said her body aches" Maria said.

Troy nodded. He walked upstairs and went to the bathroom door and knocked politely.

"Mom?" Gabriella asked.

"No Brie, it's me" Troy said.

"You can come in" Gabriella said.

Troy opened the door and walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. He smiled when he saw Gabriella in the jacuzzi tub that was filled with bubbles. Troy grabbed a stool from under the sink and sat down on it in front of the tub.

"Mom said that your body aches. Are you feeling better?" Troy asked.

"The warm water helps but I still feel like I've been hit by a truck" Gabriella said.

"Is it cramps again or is it different?" Troy asked.

"It's kind of the same. My back and feet hurt. I just feel gross" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"No stomach pain?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Okay" Troy said.

"How was the shop today?" Gabriella asked.

"It was busy. Mom is never awake when I get home usually so she looked at me like she had seen a ghost" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled.

"You have a little more oil on you than normal" Gabriella said.

"Because someone's oil tank decided to exploded in my face" Troy said.

"You need to be careful" Gabriella said.

"I know. I was trying to be" Troy said.

Gabriella whined in pain. Troy looked at Gabriella concerned.

"What's wrong?" Troy asked.

"Cramps are back" Gabriella said sitting back against the back of the tub.

"I wish I could make them go away" Troy said.

"Me too" Gabriella said.

"Maybe lying down in bed will help" Troy suggested.

Gabriella nodded. Troy helped Gabriella get out of the tub. Gabriella dried herself off and changed into her pajamas. The couple walked out of the bathroom and went into the bedroom. Gabriella lied down in bed and looked at Troy.

"Better?" Troy asked.

"A little. There is a hot compress in the kitchen. Can you get it for me?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded. He left the room and walked downstairs. Maria looked at Troy.

"Is she feeling a little better?" Maria asked.

"A little bit. She wants to try to put a hot compress on her and see if that works" Troy said.

"Okay. It's in the top drawer. Put it into the microwave for thirty seconds" Maria said.

"Thanks" Troy said.

Troy walked into the kitchen and went to the cabinets and opened the top drawer and picked up the hot compress and closed the cabinet. He walked to the microwave and placed the compress in it and set the timer for thirty seconds, like Maria had told him. When the timer went off, Troy took the compress out of the microwave and walked out of the kitchen and went upstairs to the bedroom. He handed Gabriella the hot compress.

"Thank you baby" Gabriella said placing the compress on her back.

"No problem. Hopefully that helps a little bit" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"It's already working" Gabriella said.

"Good. Can I take a shower really fast? I'm covered in oil" Troy said.

"Yeah, don't wait until this works" Gabriella said.

"Alright. Yell for me or mom if you need anything" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy picked out a new pair of clothes and walked into the bathroom and took a shower. Ten minutes later, Troy came out of the bathroom and saw the hot compress on the bedside table and Gabriella under the covers, trying to fall asleep. Troy sat on the edge of the bed and looked at his girlfriend.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Better" Gabriella said.

"No more cramps?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head. Troy smiled slightly.

"Good" Troy said.


	13. Tell Me How You Feel

A week later, Gabriella had gone to East High to surprise Troy. He had a rehearsal for the spring musical and a basketball game after. So she thought she would come early to watch them both. Gabriella snuck into the auditorium and smiled when she saw Troy on stage. She felt Grace kick her hand, that was resting on her six and a half month bump.

"That's your daddy, Grace" Gabriella whispered.

Gabriella listened to Ms. Darbus give her last set of directions and then everyone was dismissed. She looked up and saw Ms. Darbus look at her and smiled. Ms. Darbus walked to Gabriella's seat and sat next to her.

"Miss Montez, I know that you couldn't help it but to come and watch" Ms. Darbus said.

Gabriella nodded.

"How are you feeling?" Ms. Darbus asked.

"I feel good. Tired, but good. How's the musical coming along? Troy says it's going to be bigger than last year" Gabriella said.

Ms. Darbus smiled.

"I'm sure it's not going to top your spectacular performance but it's going well. Are you here to find Mr. Bolton?" Ms. Darbus asked.

"I wanted to surprise him. He has a game after rehearsal and I thought that it would be nice to surprise him and come to his rehearsal and game" Gabriella said.

"That's nice. Are you ready for the baby to come?" Ms. Darbus asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"I'm tired of being pregnant" Gabriella said.

The two women heard something drop and looked up. Troy had seen Gabriella and had dropped his bag.

"Hey" Troy said happily.

"Hey" Gabriella said.

"I'll leave you two. See you soon Miss Montez. Mr. Bolton, take care of that baby" Ms. Darbus said.

"Don't worry, I will" Troy said.

Ms. Darbus left the couple. Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"What are you doing here baby?" Troy asked kissing Gabriella's lips softly.

"I wanted to surprise you. I wanted to watch rehearsal and come to the game" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"That's sweet of you Brie. You didn't have to do that" Troy said.

"I wanted to" Gabriella said.

"Who are you going to sit with at the game?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shrugged.

"Is mom coming?" Troy asked.

"I think yours is. My mom is at work" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I just don't want you to be sitting alone. I want you to have someone from our families sitting with you just in case something happens" Troy said.

"Nothing is going to happen" Gabriella said.

"I know, but just as a precaution" Troy said.

"We have three months before she even thinks about coming out" Gabriella said putting a hand on her bump.

"I know. I just want to be safe" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. A couple hours later, Gabriella was sitting in the bleachers of the gym with Lucille, waiting for the game to start.

"How are you feeling today?" Lucille asked.

"I feel good. I'm a little tired, but other than that, I feel good" Gabriella said.

"Good. Troy told me that you watched rehearsal today" Lucille said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I did. The musical is coming together" Gabriella said.

Lucille smiled. The game started and the two women watched and cheered on the wildcats. In the middle of the game, Gabriella put her hand on her bump and rubbed it in soothing circles.

"Mom" Gabriella said.

Lucille looked at Gabriella and knew something was wrong.

"Are you in pain Gabi?" Lucille asked.

Gabriella nodded. Lucille took Gabriella's hand and they made their way to the ground level of the gym. She then went to the team management and whispered to one of the people standing there. That person then went to Jack and whispered in his ear, who then blew his whistle and motioned for Troy to sit out. Troy walked to the side line and saw Gabriella and Lucille.

"What's going on?" Troy asked.

"Gabi needs to go to the hospital" Lucille said.

Troy looked at Gabriella, who had her hand on her bump and tears that were threatening to fall.

"What's wrong baby?" Troy asked.

"I have a pain in my stomach" Gabriella said.

Troy ran his fingers through his hair.

"What are we going to do Troy?" Gabriella asked.

Troy's eyes softened and he sighed. He looked at Gabriella, who was scared to death and then looked at the remaining time of the game on the clock. Troy then looked at Gabriella.

"This is what we are going to do okay? Listen to me Brie. You and mom are going to the hospital. It will probably take an hour for them to get you into a hospital room and for Dr. Brand to come. I will finish the game and be the first one out and on my way to you okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned his forehead against Gabriella's.

"I know you are scared sweetheart. But everything is going to be okay alright?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded slowly. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I'll see you over there okay?" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Lucille and Gabriella left the game and went to the hospital and called Maria on the way. Two hours later, Gabriella was lying on her side, with an oxygen mask on, sleeping in a hospital bed. Lucille and Maria were sitting and talking quietly. There was a knock on the door and Troy opened the door.

"What happened? Where's Dr. Brand?" Troy asked quickly.

The two mothers motioned to the sleeping Gabriella and told Troy to follow them out to the hallway. Once they were in the hallway, the Lucille and Maria looked at Troy.

"The baby was losing oxygen so they placed Gabriella on oxygen" Maria said.

"What about the pain?" Troy asked.

"She was having Braxton Hicks contractions" Lucille said.

"Is she okay?" Troy asked.

"Dr. Brand gave her some medication to stop the contractions. They seemed to have stopped, but they are still being monitored just to be sure" Maria said.

"Can I see her?" Troy asked.

Maria nodded. Troy walked into the hospital room and saw Gabriella breathing through the oxygen mask. He sat in a chair that was next to the hospital bed. Gabriella opened her eyes slowly and tears ran down her cheeks when she saw Troy.

"Brie" Troy breathed.

Gabriella just cried.

"Sh.. it's alright babe. Everything is going to be fine" Troy said kissing Gabriella's forehead and smoothing her hair back.

Gabriella tried to take the oxygen mask off, but Troy held it in place.

"No sweetheart. Keep it on. Dr. Brand needs you to keep it on" Troy said.

Tears ran down Gabriella's face.

"I'm so scared Troy" Gabriella cried through the mask.

"I know you are baby. But, I'm here and our mothers. Dr. Brand is going to do everything in her power to keep you and our baby girl safe okay?" Troy said.

"Grace" Gabriella said.

"She's fine for right now. The medication that Dr. Brand gave you stopped the contractions" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Just rest baby" Troy said.

Silent tears ran down Gabriella's face and Troy wiped them away. A couple hours later, Gabriella and their daughter were stable. Gabriella had calmed down a little bit and was sitting up in the hospital bed, her hand firmly holding Troy's hand. Her oxygen mask still on her face. Dr. Brand came into the hospital room and sat on the edge.

"Gabriella, we need to talk" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella looked at her doctor with a concerned look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Maria asked.

"I know that you are seventeen and that you are still in high school and are trying to keep up with everything that you were doing before. But, you are carrying a baby, a human life, inside of you. You need to be calm and relaxed. The baby was losing oxygen because she was in distress. You need to be careful or this is going to get really messy and you don't want that" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella swallowed hard.

"Is she okay now?" Maria asked.

"She is stable, but we don't want this to happen again. To make that happen, I'm putting you on complete bed rest-" Dr. Brand started but was then interrupted.

"No" Gabriella cried.

"Gabi" Maria said.

"Gabriella, I think this is the best option for you and your daughter. I wouldn't make you do something unless it protected you and her, and this does" Dr. Brand explained.

"Mom" Gabriella said.

"Gabi, this can save your baby's life" Maria said.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"Baby, if this is safer for you and the baby, we need to do this" Troy said.

Gabriella threw her hands in the air.

"Fine. Whatever" Gabriella said.

Dr. Brand smiled sympathetically.

"What does bed rest entail?" Troy asked.

"She can only get up to go to the bathroom" Dr. Brand said.

Troy nodded.

"I will see you at your next appointment" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Thank you Dr. Brand" Maria said.

Dr. Brand left the room. An hour later, Gabriella was discharged and was at home, in bed. Troy walked into the bedroom and smiled sympathetically.

"Hey" Troy said.

Gabriella, whose back was turned to Troy, didn't move. Troy walked over to the bed and sat on the edge.

"Gabs, please talk to me" Troy said.

"I don't feel like talking right now" Gabriella said quietly.

"I know you are upset and I understand-" Troy started.

Gabriella turned over and looked at her boyfriend.

"No, you don't. You will never feel what I feel Troy. You don't have to stay in bed all day and all night. You don't have a baby living inside of you" Gabriella said with tears running down her face.

"Brie, you don't know how worried I am about you. There isn't a minute of the day when I'm not. I may not be pregnant, you are right. But, I do feel what you feel. I am just as upset about this as you are" Troy said.

Troy walked out of the room before Gabriella could say anything. He walked downstairs and Maria looked at Troy.

"Troy" Maria said.

Troy ignored Maria and walked out to the backyard and sat on the steps that were in front of the door. Tears ran down Troy's face. He finally could release how he was feeling about Gabriella's pregnancy. Troy heard the door open and close. Maria sat next to Troy and looked at him.

"Troy" Maria said.

"I don't know what to do mom. I really don't" Troy said.

"Just give her time. That's all you can do and in that time, you can figure out how you feel. Because I know that you haven't been dealing with that" Maria said.

Troy covered his face with his hands and nodded slightly. Maria placed a hand on Troy's shoulder.

"Can I tell you something?" Maria asked.

"Sure" Troy said.

"When I was pregnant with Gabi, her dad felt the same way you do now" Maria said.

Troy looked at Maria.

"What did he do about it?" Troy asked.

"He decided that no matter what, or how much stress he was feeling, he would talk to me about it. There were times that we both felt the same way and other times when he felt one way and I felt something else. Communicating how you feel is what is going to make you both stronger and give you that confidence to say that you can have this baby and everything is going to be okay" Maria said.

"But, she is telling me that I don't know how she feels" Troy said.

"And that's when you ask her how she feels. You both have to deal with this in an adult manner. You can't go about this in the way that you did before Gabriella was pregnant" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"You are an amazing boyfriend to her, Troy and I know that you are going to be an amazing father as well. You both just have to work out the details" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"So, in this situation, should I just ask her how she feels?" Troy asked.

Maria smiled slightly.

"Start with that and see where it goes" Maria said.

"Thanks, mom. For everything" Troy said.

"That's what I'm here for. Now, go up there and start talking" Maria said pointing upstairs.

Troy nodded. He and Maria got up and walked into the house. Troy walked upstairs and saw that the bedroom door was closed. He took a deep breath and released it. Troy knocked on the door.

"Gabs, can I come in?" Troy asked.

"I don't want to fight with you" Gabriella said through the door.

"I know you don't baby and I don't want to either. Can we talk?" Troy asked through the door.

"We won't argue?" Gabriella asked.

"No. I promise Gabriella" Troy said.

Gabriella knew that Troy was serious if he had called her Gabriella.

"Okay, come in" Gabriella said.

Troy opened the door and walked in. He closed the door behind him and stuck his right hand in his pocket and looked at his girlfriend.

"I don't want to fight with you" Gabriella said softly.

"I know and I didn't come up here to fight. Can we just talk about this? Just a real you and I conversation" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She patted Troy's side of the bed and he sat down next to Gabriella. Troy took Gabriella's hand in his and entwined their fingers together.

"Brie, look at me" Troy said softly.

Gabriella looked at Troy, with tears in her eyes.

"Tell me how you feel about this whole thing. Just explain it to me babe" Troy said.

Gabriella swallowed hard and got choked up. She looked at Troy, who immediately took her into his arms.

"I ruined my life" Gabriella cried.

Now it was Troy's turn to get emotional. His eyes filled with tears and tried to prevent them from falling, but failed and tears ran down his face.

"I lost my education, my career, my friends, and now the freedom of being able to be pregnant and not have to be under a microscope...I can't get a break" Gabriella cried.

"I know sweetheart. I feel it too" Troy said.

"I've had to sacrifice everything just so I can have this baby" Gabriella said.

"You still have me, Brie. You will never have to worry about losing me. I will always be here. I may not understand the physical part of pregnancy, but I understand what you are going through emotionally and mentally. When you said that I don't understand, that hurts me that you think that. I try so hard to understand Gabs. Being on bed rest is going to be tough, but I know that you and the baby will be okay if you stay on it. It's the safest thing you can do for her, Brie. I know that it sucks and that it adds to your stress. I understand that. But, our first priority isn't just about you and me and what we want anymore. It's about what we want for her and how to keep her safe" Troy said with tears running down his cheeks.

Gabriella nodded with tears running down her cheeks. She sobbed in Troy's arms and Troy rubbed her back as tears continued to run down his face. Twenty minutes later, Gabriella pulled away from Troy. Her eyes were dark red and she sniffled.

"You okay?" Troy asked softly.

Gabriella nodded.

"Thank you for telling me how you feel and I'm sorry for putting you through this" Gabriella said.

"I'll always tell you how I feel Gabs. You don't have to worry about that. You didn't put me through anything. We made a joint decision to have sex. We put each other through this" Troy said.

Gabriella wiped Troy's remaining tears away.

"Are you okay?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly, but passionately. Gabriella pulled away and smiled.

"I think she likes when we kiss" Gabriella said.

"Kicking?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy put his hand on Gabriella's bump and felt his daughter kick his hand.

"Hey baby girl. Daddy's here" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. Troy sniffled and leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips again.

"I love you" Gabriella mumbled.

Troy smiled.

"I love you too sweetheart" Troy mumbled.

"That was exhausting" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. Gabriella placed her head against Troy's chest.

"But, we needed to have that talk. Because this situation wasn't going to get better without it" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Can you get me a cup of water please? All this crying made me thirsty" Gabriella said.

"Sure baby" Troy said getting up.

Troy left the room and walked downstairs. Maria looked at Troy, whose eyes were still red from crying.

"How did it go?" Maria asked.

"We needed it. I think that talk brought us closer" Troy said filling a cup with water.

"Good. Is she okay?" Maria asked.

Troy nodded.

"She's okay. We both were crying so we are trying to just relax" Troy said.

Maria nodded. Troy walked upstairs with Gabriella's cup of water and went into the bedroom. He handed his girlfriend the cup and watched her take a sip.

"Thank you" Gabriella said.

"No problem sweetheart. Do you want me to bring some of your homework up here? Maybe you could work on it a little bit" Troy suggested.

Gabriella nodded.

"Okay. Your backpack is downstairs right?" Troy said.

"Yeah. Just bring the whole thing up here" Gabriella said.

"Alright" Troy said.

Troy walked downstairs and saw Gabriella's backpack. He picked it up and walked back upstairs to the bedroom and placed the backpack on the bed.

"There you go. Anything else?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"No. Thanks Troy" Gabriella said.

"No problem" Troy said.

Troy's phone vibrated and he looked at it and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Gabriella asked.

"Chuck just asked me to come in" Troy said.

"Go in Troy. Mom is here and if she needs to leave, I can ask your mom to come" Gabriella said.

"Are you sure you are going to be okay?" Troy asked.

"Babe, I am confined to a bed. There isn't much I can do other than sleep and go to the bathroom" Gabriella said.

Troy took a deep breath and released it.

"You just got out of the hospital, Brie. I want to be here" Troy said.

"I know. But, I will be in bed for two months. You need to go in, Troy" Gabriella said.

"Alright. But, if you feel-" Troy started.

"If I am in pain or have any contractions I will call you. Yes, babe. I know" Gabriella said.

"I am just worried about you that's all" Troy said.

"I know you are. But, like you said, this is the safest thing for me to do" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded and got ready for work. Ten minutes later, Troy came into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Call me if you don't feel well, please" Troy said softly.

"I will. I promise" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. Gabriella put her hand on Troy's cheek and kissed him back. Troy pulled away slowly and looked up at Gabriella.

"I'll see you later" Troy said.

"See you later. Love you" Gabriella said.

"Love you too baby" Troy said.

Troy left the house and went to work. The couple hoped that everything from here on out would be okay.


	14. Thanks For Everything

That night, Troy came home and smiled when he saw Maria cooking Gabriella's favorite meal for dinner, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He put his things down and walked into the kitchen and sat on a stool at the kitchen island.

"How was work?" Maria asked.

"Alright. I was worried about leaving Gabs today. Especially since she just got out of the hospital" Troy said.

Maria smiled.

"I've been checking on her. She was doing homework and then the last I checked she was sleeping" Maria said.

Troy nodded. Maria handed Troy two plates with sandwiches on each.

"I probably am going to go to sleep after I eat. Night mom" Troy said.

"Good night Troy" Maria said.

Troy walked upstairs and opened the door and smiled when he saw Gabriella sleeping. He set the two plates on Gabriella's desk and walked over to the bed and lied down on it. Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek softly.

"Brie, dinner's ready baby girl. Time to wake up" Troy said.

Gabriella moaned in her sleep. She opened her eyes slowly and saw Troy lying next to her.

"Hey, how was your nap?" Troy asked.

"Good" Gabriella said softly.

"Mom made your favorite" Troy said.

Gabriella sat up in bed and Troy handed the plate with the sandwich. She took a bite.

"How was work?" Gabriella asked.

"It was fine. Chad came by today" Troy said.

"Oh. Did you tell him that I'm on bed rest?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded as he took a bite of his own sandwich.

"He is going to try to make Tay come and visit. I told him not to even bother but he thinks that you guys need to talk" Troy said.

"I don't want to talk to her" Gabriella said.

"I know you don't. I told him that you don't need anymore stress than you already have" Chad said.

Gabriella nodded. She put her hand on her bump and smiled.

"You like peanut butter like mommy and daddy" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"She's kicking like crazy" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned down and kissed Gabriella's stomach gently. Gabriella finished her sandwich and placed the plate on the nightstand. Troy took off his shirt and got his clothes together. He then walked into the bathroom and took a shower. Ten minutes later, Troy came out of the bathroom and climbed into bed. Gabriella snuggled into her boyfriend's side.

"So besides sleeping, what did you do while I was at work? Mom said you did some homework" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I finished an assignment. But then I got tired and fell asleep. I woke up to you walking in the room" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"She making you tired?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"My body kind of aches and I wanted to sleep and see if it would go away" Gabriella said.

"Why didn't you tell me when I first came home baby?" Troy asked softly.

"You are tired from work and I didn't want to bombard you with that" Gabriella explained.

Troy took a deep breath.

"You don't need to worry about bombarding me with that, Gabs. If you don't feel well, I want to know so I can help you" Troy said softly.

Gabriella's eyes filled with tears. She wasn't upset. She was just overly emotional and couldn't help but cry.

"I don't feel well. My body aches and I don't know how to make it stop" Gabriella explained.

Troy nodded.

"Should I go and ask mom what we should do?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Okay. Don't worry sweetheart. We will figure this out" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said softly.

Troy kissed Gabriella's lips softly. He walked downstairs and talked to Maria. Ten minutes later, Troy came back upstairs and looked at Gabriella.

"She said to lay on your side for a little bit and not on your back" Troy said.

Gabriella turned to her side and looked at Troy.

"Let's see how you feel in like ten minutes" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"Don't worry Brie. Everything is going to be okay" Troy said.

Troy walked downstairs and looked at Maria.

"Is she feeling better?" Maria asked.

"She is laying on her side now. I'm going to go back and check on her in ten minutes and see how she feels" Troy said.

Maria nodded.

"She's just moving around and pressing against her body. That's all it is" Maria said.

"Gabriella's worried about it" Troy said.

"I had it when I was pregnant with Gabi. It's normal" Maria said.

Troy nodded and sighed.

"Are things better between you two?" Maria asked.

"They are better. I've been trying to tell her how I feel and she's been doing the same. We are just trying to keep it that way" Troy said.

Maria nodded. Ten minutes later, Troy walked upstairs and smiled sympathetically at Gabriella, who was still lying on her side.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"A little better" Gabriella said.

"That's good right?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Can I get up and come downstairs?" Gabriella asked softly.

Troy licked his lips and took a deep breath.

"Sweetheart, you have to stay in bed. I know you want to be able to get up and do stuff around the house. But, we need to keep you and the baby safe" Troy said.

Gabriella looked down at her hands. Troy put his hand on top of Gabriella's hand.

"Hey" Troy said softly.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"I am not trying to tell you what to do and be the bad guy in this, Brie. I just want you and the baby to be okay and if this is the only way that that is going to happen, then we need to do it" Troy said softly.

Gabriella nodded.

"I want you to come downstairs. Don't think that I don't because I do. But you need to stay in bed" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's cheek.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

"Take a nap and get some rest okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"Call me if you need me" Troy said softly.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy walked out of the room and Gabriella fell asleep. A couple weeks later, Gabriella was seven and a half months pregnant. Troy and Maria had been working on trying to get the baby furniture into Gabriella's room. Gabriella had been telling her mother and Troy where to put all the furniture in her bedroom. One day, Troy came home from work and smiled when he saw Gabriella, who was now allowed to move to different parts of the house every couple of hours, sitting in the living room with her feet elevated and sitting on the coffee table.

"Hey sweetheart" Troy said.

"Hi" Gabriella said.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"I had a couple Braxton-Hicks contractions earlier" Gabriella said.

Troy sat down next to Gabriella.

"You did? Did you tell mom?" Troy asked.

"I did and we timed them and everything. I called Dr. Brand just to be sure and she confirmed that they were Braxton-Hicks" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Sounds like you have everything under control" Troy said.

"I still need you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Good. How long have you been down here?" Troy asked placing a kiss on Gabriella's cheek.

"An hour. I just ate lunch" Gabriella said.

"So then it's nap time?" Troy asked.

"Troy, I don't want to" Gabriella whined.

"Gabs, just because you are somewhat mobile doesn't mean you can go back to doing whatever you were doing before. You still need to take it easy" Troy said.

"Fine" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly. He stood up and held his hands out for Gabriella to take. Gabriella took Troy's hands in hers and was lifted up to a standing position.

"Come on" Troy said softly.

The couple walked upstairs and went into their bedroom. Gabriella climbed into bed and looked at Troy.

"Back to the dungeon" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"At least your prince charming came and saved you from your boredom in the castle" Troy joked.

Gabriella looked at Troy and rolled her eyes.

"You aren't funny" Gabriella said.

"Grace thinks so, don't you baby?" Troy said with his hand on Gabriella's bump.

"Yeah, make her go onto your side. It's not like I've carried her for seven and a half months or anything" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly and kissed Gabriella's forehead.

"A month and a half left sweetheart. That's all you have left to stay in bed" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it.

"Get some sleep please. I know you don't want to, but do it for Grace. Think of it that way" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"When did we get so mature?" Gabriella asked.

"Having a baby will do that to you" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you and your hormonal outbursts" Troy said softly.

"It's not my fault" Gabriella said innocently.

"I know it's not baby girl" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and leaned down and kissed Gabriella's expanding bump.

"When is your next appointment with Dr. Brand?" Troy asked.

"Next week I think" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Alright, get some rest. I'll be downstairs if you need me" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded and snuggled into the bed. A couple hours later, Troy was sitting downstairs doing his homework. Maria opened the front door and smiled.

"Hey" Maria said.

"Hi mom" Troy said.

"What are you doing?" Maria asked.

"Homework" Troy said.

"How's Gabi?" Maria asked.

"She's fine. She told me about the contractions" Troy said.

Maria nodded.

"They are normal at this stage Troy" Maria said.

"I know. It's just weird to me how they are happening a month and a half before she's supposed to have the baby" Troy said.

"That's when they usually happen. Right before you are supposed to go into labor is when all the false labor and Braxton-Hicks come" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"I just don't want her to go into labor early" Troy said.

"And she won't. Dr. Brand will make sure of that" Maria said.

Troy nodded. That night, Gabriella woke up to pain in her stomach. She took a deep breath and released it. Gabriella shook Troy's shoulder and he turned over and opened his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Troy asked sleepily.

"Contractions" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He picked up his phone and started timing them. Tears ran down Gabriella's cheeks. Troy saw this and wiped them away.

"Baby, don't cry. Everything is okay" Troy said.

"I just get scared every time I have them because I never know if they are real or not" Gabriella cried.

Troy sat up and turned on the bedside lamp and Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest. Gabriella breathed through the contraction that she was having and then relaxed.

"Did it feel like the ones you were having earlier?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"I'm scared to go to sleep" Gabriella said softly.

Troy nodded. He got out of bed and went to Gabriella's side of the bed and held out his hand. Gabriella took Troy's hand and sat up in bed.

"Come on baby" Troy said.

Gabriella got out of bed and looked at Troy, who opened his arms. Gabriella walked into Troy's arms and wrapped her arms around him. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly and slowly swayed from side to side. He smiled when he felt Grace kick his stomach.

"Why do you have to pick on me?" Troy asked looking down at Gabriella's bump.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"She wanted to say hi daddy" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and took Gabriella's hand in his and left the bedroom and walked downstairs to the kitchen. He lifted Gabriella onto the counter.

"So what will it be?" Troy asked.

"Peanut butter and jelly please" Gabriella said softly.

Troy smiled and kissed Gabriella's cheek.

"Coming right up" Troy said.

Troy made Gabriella and himself sandwiches. They didn't hear Maria come downstairs until they heard her start talking.

"Do you both know what time it is?" Maria asked.

"Gabs had a contraction and got scared. I thought this would be the best solution" Troy said.

Maria looked at Gabriella.

"How are you feeling now?" Maria asked.

"Haven't had anymore" Gabriella said.

Maria nodded. She kissed Gabriella's cheek softly.

"Just relax okay? She's not ready to come out and she won't come out because I said so. Do you hear that baby girl?" Maria asked.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"If you have another one, time it. Take a warm bath and that should relax you" Maria said.

The couple nodded and went upstairs. Gabriella got a towel and walked into the bathroom. Troy followed her.

"Troy, you don't need to watch me take a bath. You have to be at the shop-" Gabriella started.

"Brie, let me take care of you. Yes, I have work tomorrow but I have to make sure that you are alright" Troy said.

Troy closed the door behind them. Gabriella turned on the warm water and waited for the tub to fill up. Once it had filled, she squeezed some of her favorite soap into the water. Gabriella took her clothes off and got into the bathtub and sighed.

"Feel better?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded with her eyes closed.

"Just relax sweetheart" Troy said smoothing Gabriella's hair back.

"I've never been so scared in all my life" Gabriella said softly.

"I know. But, mom and I are going to make sure that nothing happens to you and our baby girl" Troy said.

Gabriella whined.

"Another one?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Remember what Dr. Brand told you Brie. You have to breathe through it okay? Don't hold your breath" Troy said softly.

Gabriella breathed through the contraction. Troy smoothed back Gabriella's hair and kissed her forehead. Once the contraction ended, Gabriella relaxed and looked at Troy.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"I want to go back to bed" Gabriella said.

"Alright baby" Troy said.

Troy drained the water and helped Gabriella get out of the tub. He handed Gabriella a towel and she dried herself off. Gabriella changed into a pair of pajamas and the couple left the bathroom and walked into the bedroom. Troy tucked Gabriella into bed and kissed her forehead. Gabriella smiled slightly.

"Feeling okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded sleepily.

"Go to sleep sweetheart. Wake me up if you need anything" Troy said.

Troy climbed into bed and Gabriella snuggled into his chest.

"Troy?" Gabriella said.

"Yeah Brie?" Troy asked.

"Thanks for everything" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"You are most welcome. Get some sleep" Troy said.

Gabriella fell asleep to the sound of Troy's heartbeat. She didn't know how she would have been able to get through this pregnancy without him.


	15. It's My Choice

A week later, Gabriella was sitting in an exam room at Dr. Brand's office waiting for Troy to arrive from practice. She heard a knock and Troy poked his head in.

"Sorry that I'm late. Dad made me stay a little longer" Troy said.

"It's okay" Gabriella said.

"Where's mom?" Troy asked.

"She dropped me off. She had some work stuff to take care of and I just told her to drop me off since you were on your way here" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"She needs to stay with you until I get here next time okay? I don't want anything happening to either of you now that you are a lot closer to your due date" Troy said.

Troy had been reading about pregnancy a lot since Gabriella had gotten pregnant. He was also getting an A in his biology class due to the fact that he was learning about reproduction in his every day life.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

There was a knock on the door and Dr. Brand came into the room, smiling.

"Hi Gabi, how are you feeling?" Dr. Brand asked.

"Tired, but all I do is sleep" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Good. That means the bed rest is working. How's baby girl doing?" Dr. Brand asked.

"Kicking all the time" Gabriella said.

Dr. Brand smiled. She turned on the ultrasound and waited for it to heat up. Dr. Brand then lifted Gabriella's gown above her bump and squeezed gel onto it and took a wand and started moving it around. Dr. Brand looked at the monitor and smiled.

"There's your baby girl" Dr. Brand said pointing to the screen.

The couple smiled.

"Is she okay?" Troy asked.

Dr. Brand looked at Troy and smiled.

"As of right now, she's okay. We can take a 4-D image to get a better look" Dr. Brand said typing on the keyboard.

An image came up and Gabriella's lips quivered and tears ran down her cheeks.

"What do you think?" Dr. Brand asked.

"Oh my god" was all Gabriella could get out.

Troy smiled and wiped a couple tears that were running down his face.

"She has ten fingers and ten toes" Gabriella said.

Dr. Brand nodded.

"Yeah, all of them are there" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled.

"What do you think babe?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled at his girlfriend. He took her hand in his and kissed her forehead softly.

"I hope this month and a half goes by fast" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Me too" Gabriella said.

"Let me go print these pictures for you and I will come back and examine you okay?" Dr. Brand said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Dr. Brand left the room. Gabriella looked at the tear stains on Troy's cheeks and wiped the remaining tears away.

"I love you Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I love you too Gabriella, so much" Troy said.

"It's really overwhelming" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"But a good overwhelming" Gabriella added.

Troy smiled and nodded. He wiped the gel off of Gabriella's stomach and put the towel aside. Dr. Brand came back into the room and smiled.

"Alright Gabi, I just need to examine you" Dr. Brand said putting a pair of gloves on.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Gabriella spread her legs apart and searched for Troy's hand, who found hers.

"Take a deep breath in for me" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella took a deep breath in and closed her eyes. Dr. Brand started her exam. Gabriella whined.

"It's okay babe. Just relax" Troy said softly rubbing his thumb against hers.

"Almost done. I know it's uncomfortable" Dr. Brand said.

A couple moments later, Dr. Brand threw her gloves away. Gabriella sighed in relief. Troy smiled sympathetically and kissed her head.

"Everything looks good. She's head down so there shouldn't be any problems" Dr. Brand said.

"What does that mean?" Troy asked.

Dr. Brand smiled. She knew that Troy was starting to get nervous and wanted him to ask as many questions as he wanted.

"When the baby needs to come out, it needs to come head first. If it comes feet first, it's breech. If it's head first, it means that the baby is head down" Dr. Brand said.

Troy nodded in understanding.

"And that's when she starts pushing?" Troy asked awkwardly.

Gabriella smiled slightly and looked at Troy. She knew that he was trying to grasp all this information and process it.

"When she goes into labor and is fully dilated, yes" Dr. Brand said.

"Okay. I'm just trying to understand all of this and prepare myself. We're only seventeen" Troy said.

Dr. Brand nodded.

"I understand Troy and it's perfectly fine to ask questions" Dr. Brand said.

Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"Do you have any questions?" Troy asked.

"No, I think Troy asked all of mine" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Alright then. I will see you in a month. Call me if you have any questions" Dr. Brand said.

The couple nodded. Dr. Brand left the room and Gabriella sat up carefully.

"You are nervous" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and looked down.

"Was it that obvious?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"I'm just starting to realize that this is happening. We are going to have a baby in a month and a half" Troy said.

"Yeah, I feel that too" Gabriella said.

Gabriella looked down and tears ran down her cheeks.

"Brie" Troy said.

"What?" Gabriella asked breathlessly.

"I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella swallowed hard.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy stood in between Gabriella's legs, that were dangling off the side of the exam table. He looked at his girlfriend and put his finger under her chin and brought it up to his level.

"We are going to have a baby in a month and a half and we are seventeen" Gabriella said with her voice cracking.

Troy nodded and wrapped his arms around Gabriella, who started crying in his arms.

"It's okay sweetheart" Troy said softly as he rubbed her back.

Gabriella cried and balled fist fulls of Troy's shirt. Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek and pulled back so he could look at her.

"We are going to get through this. We can do this. You can do this babe. Everything is going to fall into place and it will be okay. I promise you" Troy said.

"I'm just really scared" Gabriella cried.

"I know you are baby. I know you are and that is normal. We are going to be okay" Troy said moving a stray hair away from her face.

Gabriella sniffled.

"Let's go home so you can rest okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

The couple left the office and drove home. They walked into the house and Gabriella walked upstairs. Troy went into the kitchen and smiled when he saw Maria.

"How was Dr. Brand's?" Maria asked.

"It was fine. We asked a lot of questions about the birth" Troy said.

"Oh. Is Gabriella getting nervous?" Maria asked.

"She started crying after Dr. Brand left. I feel so helpless, mom" Troy said.

Maria smiled.

"You just need to remind her that you are here for her and that if she needs to talk she can" Maria said.

Troy nodded and handed Maria the sonogram. Maria looked at the sonogram and smiled.

"She's getting big. How are you holding up?" Maria asked.

"I'm nervous. But I'm more scared of seeing Gabs in pain. The last time I saw her in a lot of pain is when she got her appendix removed" Troy said.

Maria nodded.

"She still doesn't want any pain meds?" Maria asked.

Troy shook his head.

"She said that she wants to feel her mistake. Which I think shouldn't be an option" Troy said.

"She's upset about the whole thing, Troy. She wants to punish herself for getting pregnant" Maria said.

"She shouldn't think like that. I understand that she's upset. I am too. But we don't know how long she is going to be in labor for. We don't know what the birth is going to be like. We don't know what is going to happen in the future. But what we-I know is that if we can go through this together, everything will be alright" Troy said.

Maria smiled slightly.

"I get where you are coming from honey. I do. But, I also have given birth myself and I will tell you that Gabriella is seeing that her life is going to change drastically in a month and a half. Like I did. We can tell her thousands of times that she is going to be fine or that we will be there for her when she needs us to be. But, she is still going to see that this is a mistake that can't be fixed and that she is going to have to live with for the rest of her life. Whether you are both together or not" Maria said.

"Troy?" Gabriella called from upstairs.

"Coming baby. I'll be right back" Troy said.

Maria nodded. Troy walked upstairs and went into the bedroom. Gabriella had tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Troy asked softly.

"Contractions" Gabriella said.

"Alright. Just relax sweetheart" Troy said grabbing his phone and timing the contraction.

"It hurts more than the other ones. But still has the same effect" Gabriella cried.

Troy nodded. He smoothed Gabriella's hair back and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Breathe through it baby. That's all you can do" Troy said.

Gabriella took deep breaths and took Troy's hand in hers. A minute later, Gabriella sighed in relief.

"Is it over?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. She wiped a tear that was running down her cheek.

"They scare me more and more each time I have one" Gabriella said.

"I know. But, maybe this is a sign that she is going to come soon" Troy said.

"I'm only seven and a half months pregnant. She's supposed to come at nine months" Gabriella said.

"I know. But, maybe she is going to come early" Troy said.

"Not this early" Gabriella said.

"Maybe she will come when you are like eight months" Troy said.

"Don't freak me out, Troy" Gabriella said.

"I'm not trying to babe. I'm just thinking about this" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it. Troy sat on the edge of the bed and looked at his girlfriend.

"She will come when she wants to come. You and I can't stop her from coming, Brie" Troy said softly.

"I know. But, I just don't want her to come this early" Gabriella said putting her hand on her bump and feeling Grace kick her hand.

"I understand that baby. But, we can't choose when she is going to come" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"I know you are scared and I understand that. But she may come. I'm not saying she will. But there is a possibility that she will if you are having all these Braxton-Hicks contractions" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Just relax and keep an open mind about it okay?" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said softly.

Troy smiled.

"That's my girl. I was talking to your mom when you called me. I need to finish talking to her" Troy said.

"What are you guys talking about?" Gabriella asked.

Troy took Gabriella's hand and entwined their fingers together and kissed Gabriella's thumb.

"Troy?" Gabriella asked.

"Remember when you told me that you didn't want an epidural because you wanted to "feel" your mistake?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Do you still want to stick with that plan?" Troy asked.

"Troy, it's my choice" Gabriella said.

"I understand that, Brie. But we are just talking and trying to figure out if there should be a plan B. I'm getting scared every day we get closer to your due date because I don't know if I can handle it if you are going to be in so much pain. That's what we are trying to figure out babe. We want you to have a plan B" Troy said.

"I want to stick with my choice. You both can accept my reasoning and support me or you can disagree and not support me. But, I'm still going to do what I want to do" Gabriella said.

"I'm going to support you no matter what. If you don't want the epidural, then you don't need one. I just wanted you to be comfortable, that's all" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled slightly. She put her hand on Troy's cheek.

"Thanks. But, I want to do this how it's supposed to be done. I want to be able to _feel_ her come out of me. I want to _feel_ the pain" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"And I know it will be painful. But I want your support in my decision" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly. He placed his hand on Gabriella's bump and felt his daughter kick his hand.

"I will support your decision. Regardless if I supported it or didn't, I would still be there" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Thank you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. The rest of the day, the couple talked about the baby. They couldn't wait to finally meet their baby girl.


	16. Breathing

A month and a half later, Gabriella was nine months pregnant and uncomfortable and irritable. She was waiting to go into labor. She even had contractions that she thought were real and went to the hospital but ended up being sent home because they were Braxton-Hicks. Gabriella was lying in bed waiting for Troy to come home from work.

"Come on Grace, please come out for mommy" Gabriella said rubbing soothing circles on her bump.

Troy opened the bedroom door and smiled.

"Hey, nothing yet?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head and frowned.

"I just want her to come out already" Gabriella whined.

"I know you do baby girl. But she is going to come when she wants to. We can't force her" Troy said.

"But we can induce labor ourselves" Gabriella said raising her eyebrow.

"Absolutely not!" Maria said standing in the doorway.

"Mami, I'm tired of being pregnant" Gabriella whined.

"I know you are, Gabi. But, you aren't going to put yours and your baby's life in danger by doing that. You need to let it happen naturally" Maria said.

Gabriella crossed her arms over her bump.

"You are a week away from your due date babe. It could happen any day now. Dr. Brand even said that" Troy said.

"But, I just want her to come out now so we can be done with this" Gabriella said.

"Brie, she's going to come when she wants to. Just let it happen" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"Fine" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. That night, Troy woke up to hearing Gabriella in the bathroom, crying. He got up and walked to the bathroom and saw Gabriella leaning against the wall, taking deep breaths.

"What's going on baby?" Troy asked worriedly.

"Contractions. And they aren't Braxton-Hicks" Gabriella cried.

"Alright sweetheart. Um, let me get mom and we will take it from there okay? Keep breathing, Brie" Troy said.

Troy walked to Maria's room and told her that he thought Gabriella was in labor. Maria and Troy both went into the bathroom and Maria looked at Gabriella.

"How far apart are the contractions Gabi?" Maria asked.

"I don't...know...I can't time them..." Gabriella said in between breaths.

"Alright honey. Just breathe okay? Troy, call Dr. Brand and tell her that Gabriella's in labor" Maria said.

"Okay" Troy said picking up his phone and dialing the number as fast as he could.

Troy talked to Dr. Brand and he hung up the phone.

"She asked if your water broke yet" Troy said.

"I don't know what that means" Gabriella said breathlessly.

Maria looked at Gabriella.

"Are your pajamas wet Gabi?" Maria asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"So it hasn't broken yet. We have to wait until it breaks to go to the hospital" Maria said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and relaxed.

"It's over?" Maria confirmed.

Gabriella nodded nervously. Troy released the breath he was holding.

"What do should I do?" Troy asked nervously.

"Troy, calm down. Go upstairs and bring her hospital bag down here and put it into the car" Maria said.

Troy nodded and retrieved the hospital bag that they had packed a couple weeks ago and brought it downstairs. Troy then walked upstairs to the bedroom.

"Troy" Gabriella said.

"Yes baby?" Troy asked looking at his girlfriend.

"Stay" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He walked over to Gabriella. Maria switched places with Troy. Gabriella closed her eyes and then squeezed them shut.

"Mami" Gabriella cried.

Troy started timing the contraction. He then rubbed Gabriella's back and kissed her forehead softly.

"Just breathe Gabi. Everything's okay" Maria said.

Gabriella started breathing through the contraction. She had a death grip on Troy's hand. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"You are doing great Brie. Keep breathing" Troy said as it set in that Gabriella was in labor.

Gabriella sighed tiredly as the contraction ended. Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled slightly.

"She's coming today, Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded tiredly.

"Honey, why don't we go downstairs before the next contraction just so we don't have to do it later when you water breaks okay?" Maria said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy stood up and helped Gabriella stand up. He wrapped his arm around Gabriella's waist and helped her walk out of the bedroom. They got halfway down the stairs when Gabriella stopped.

"Stop. I need to stop" Gabriella said.

"Okay, okay. Breathe babe" Troy said soothingly.

Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy's neck and breathed through the contraction. Troy started massaging Gabriella's lower back.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I..love...you...too" Gabriella said in between breaths.

Gabriella moaned.

"Why won't they stop?" Gabriella cried.

"It will baby. Just keep breathing" Troy said.

Gabriella breathed through the contraction and released her grip on Troy.

"You good?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Alright, let's get you to the couch" Troy said.

The couple walked into the living room and Gabriella lied down on the couch. Troy lifted Gabriella's legs and set them on his lap and took her hand in his.

"I'm scared" Gabriella said quietly.

"I know you are sweetheart. I am too. We can be scared together" Troy said.

Troy smiled and winked at Gabriella.

"How's the pain?" Troy asked.

"It's not bad. Wait a minute" Gabriella said closing her eyes.

Gabriella breathed through the contraction. Troy held her hand and rubbed her feet gently, silently letting her know that he was there for her. Gabriella took a deep breath.

"You okay?" Troy asked softly.

Gabriella nodded.

"I can't wait to meet you baby girl" Gabriella said with her hand on her bump.

Maria came into the room and smiled.

"How are you doing honey?" Maria asked.

"I just finished one" Gabriella said.

"Okay. Maybe you should try and walk around and see if your water breaks" Maria said.

Troy nodded and looked at Gabriella. He got up and held his hands out. Gabriella took his hands in hers. Troy pulled Gabriella up to a standing position. The couple then started walking around the house. Five minutes later, Gabriella stopped and cried in pain.

"Troy" Gabriella cried.

"I'm here baby. Just breathe. It's alright" Troy said wrapping his arms around her.

Gabriella breathed shakily through the contraction as Troy rubbed her back. Tears ran down Gabriella's cheek. Once the contraction passed, Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Now it's getting painful" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded sympathetically.

"Do you want me to do anything?" Troy asked.

"Just stay here and don't leave" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. Maria brought Gabriella a glass of water.

"You need to stay hydrated" Maria said handing Gabriella the glass.

Gabriella took a sip of water and gave it back to her mother. She stood up and looked at Troy, whose eyes looked like they were going to bulge out of his face.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Gabriella asked.

"Babe, I think your water just broke" Troy said pointing to Gabriella's pants.

Gabriella looked down and her mouth dropped open. She then moaned in pain.

"Alright, Troy put the bag in the car and let's go" Maria said.

Troy picked up Gabriella's bag and took her hand.

"Just breathe. In and out" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned against Troy and closed her eyes and breathed through the contraction. Tears of fear ran down her cheeks. Once the contraction ended, Gabriella stepped away from Troy. Troy saw the tears running down her face.

"We are going to get you to the hospital okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded and wrapped her arm around Troy's. The couple walked out of the house to the car. Troy put Gabriella's bag in the trunk and then helped her get into his truck. He placed a kiss on Gabriella's forehead and then closed the door. Maria got into the backseat with Gabriella. Troy started driving to the hospital. Once they got to the hospital, Gabriella was wheeled up to labor and delivery and was getting settled in the hospital room. Troy walked into the room after turning in all of Gabriella's forms, that she had filled out weeks ago, just so they didn't have to worry about them when she was in labor.

"Troy?" Gabriella asked tearfully.

Troy smiled sympathetically. He sat down in a chair that was next to the hospital bed and took her hand in his.

"I'm here baby. I'm right here. How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"I'm-" Gabriella started but stopped.

Gabriella closed her eyes and tears fell from them.

"You have to breathe sweetheart" Troy said softly.

Gabriella breathed shakily through the contraction. After it ended, she looked at Troy and released more of her tears. Troy wiped them away and kissed her forehead softly.

"Oh babe. Don't cry" Troy said softly.

"I'm really scared" Gabriella said.

"I know you are Brie. But, I'm here, mom's here, and my mom will be here. Everything's going to be fine" Troy said trying to reassure his scared girlfriend.

There was a knock on the door and Dr. Brand came into the room and smiled.

"Hi guys. How are you feeling Gabriella?"Dr. Brand asked.

Gabriella just nodded.

"She's scared to death" Troy said answering for her.

Dr. Brand smiled sympathetically.

"Gabriella, you are in good hands. Labor is progressing well and contractions are about five minutes apart. I need to check you and see how far dilated you are okay?" Dr. Brand said.

"Do you want me to wait outside?" Maria asked.

Troy looked at Gabriella, waiting for her to answer Maria. All Gabriella could do was nod.

"Okay baby. I'm right outside if you need me" Maria said kissing Gabriella's head.

Maria walked out of the room. Dr. Brand washed her hands and put a pair of gloves on. Gabriella's hands were shaking. Troy saw this and took her hand in his.

"Just relax Brie. Everything's okay" Troy said softly.

"I'm going to check you and see where you are at okay?" Dr. Brand said separating Gabriella's legs apart.

"Wait" Gabriella finally said.

Troy and Dr. Brand looked at Gabriella, who gripped Troy's hand for dear life and started breathing heavily. Troy smoothed Gabriella's hair back with his free hand.

"Good. Keep breathing. You are doing great, honey" Dr. Brand said.

Once the contraction had ended, Dr. Brand smiled.

"Alright, I'm going to check you" Dr. Brand said.

Dr. Brand examined Gabriella and looked up.

"You are three centimeters" Dr. Brand said.

"Is that good?" Troy asked.

Dr. Brand smiled.

"Yes. That means labor is progressing. You are going to be here for a while. You don't want an epidural correct?" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Alright. I'll send your mom back in here and I will come check on you later" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella nodded. Dr. Brand left the room and Maria came back in.

"How far along are you?" Maria asked.

"Three..oh god" Gabriella started.

"Baby, just breathe through it" Maria said.

Gabriella started breathing through the contraction and cried out in pain.

"You are doing so good, Brie. Just keep breathing" Troy said.

"It hurts. Make it stop" Gabriella cried.

Gabriella breathed through the contraction and then relaxed against the bed.

"It hurts so bad" Gabriella said.

"You still don't want the epidural?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head. A couple hours later, Gabriella's labor had become more intense. She would scream and cry. Dr. Brand had just left the room again after checking Gabriella and she was now four and a half centimeters.

"Baby, drink some water" Troy said holding a cup of cold water with a straw in it.

"It hurts too much. I can't drink anything" Gabriella mumbled.

Troy held the cup to Gabriella's mouth and she slowly sucked on the straw. A couple moments later, she opened her mouth and laid back in her original position.

"There. Feel a little better?" Troy asked.

Gabriella looked at Troy with pain in her eyes.

"You try doing this for six hours Troy!" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Maria, who tried not to laugh.

"Troy, maybe you should take a break. Go for a walk, get something to eat" Maria said.

"I don't want to leave her" Troy said.

"Troy" Maria said.

"Mom" Troy started.

"Go for a walk. You've been at her bedside for six hours straight Troy" Maria said.

"Fine. Call me if anything happens" Troy said.

"I will" Maria said.

Troy looked at Gabriella.

"I'll be back in a little bit okay?" Troy said.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you" Gabriella said softly.

Troy smiled slightly.

"Don't apologize sweetheart. I'll be back in a little while. Mom will be here and Dr. Brand should be coming in soon" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded painfully. Troy smiled and kissed Gabriella's forehead.

"Breathe baby. I won't leave until it ends" Troy said.

Gabriella held Troy's hand for dear life and breathed through the contraction. She sighed after it ended.

"Hurry back please" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded and kissed Gabriella's sweaty forehead. He left the room. An hour later, Troy returned to the hospital room and saw an empty bed. His heart started racing.

"Mom? Gabs?" Troy called.

Maria came out of the bathroom.

"Where's Brie?" Troy asked.

"She's in the bathroom. Dr. Brand came in and saw that Gabriella was a little stressed out and anxious and suggested that she relax in the bathtub. She also said that it would help with the pain" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"Is she okay?" Troy asked.

"For now, yes. She hasn't changed. She's still at the same point that she was when Dr. Brand came before you left" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"Can I go in there?" Troy asked.

"Go ahead" Maria said.

Troy walked into the en suite bathroom and saw Gabriella wearing nothing but her bra, in the bathtub, breathing through a contraction. He pulled a chair up to the tub and sat down. He took her hand in his.

"You are doing great baby" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy as she breathed through the contraction. After it ended, she relaxed her grip on Troy.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"The pain is still bad, but in here it feels a lot better than lying in bed" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Mom said Dr. Brand came in" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"She said that I hadn't changed" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"We knew that this was going to take a while right?" Troy said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"So just relax. Is the water temperature okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"It's warm. You should come in" Gabriella said.

Troy raised his eyebrow.

"I don't think that your mom would be okay with that" Troy said.

"I'm in labor and need my boyfriend and father of my child to be here. I think she will under-" Gabriella stopped and closed her eyes.

"Breathe through it sweetheart' Troy said knowing that she was having a contraction.

Gabriella leaned into Troy's chest and gripped his shirt and started breathing heavily. Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella's back and rubbed it gently. Once it had passed Gabriella looked at Troy with tears in her eyes.

"I think she will understand that I need you right now" Gabriella said.

"Let me go talk to her okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy walked out of the bathroom and came back a couple minutes later. He took off his shirt and jeans. Troy then walked over to the tub and got in. Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy. Troy put his hand on the small of Gabriella's back.

"It just hurts really bad, Troy" Gabriella cried.

"I know it does babe. You are doing great though" Troy said.

Gabriella closed her eyes tightly and groaned.

"Breathe, Brie. You are doing so well" Troy said.

Gabriella breathed through the contraction.

"That one was a lot closer to the last one" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Aren't they supposed to get closer together?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded and moaned.

"Troy" Gabriella mumbled.

"I'm here baby. Breathe" Troy said.

Maria came into the bathroom with Lucille.

"Mom" Troy said.

"Hi Troy, how's she doing?" Lucille asked.

"She's at four and a half centimeters last time Dr. Brand checked. Ow Brie. Nails" Troy said looking at Gabriella, who was digging her nails into his shoulder as she breathed through a contraction.

Maria smiled slightly.

"I can't do this" Gabriella cried.

"Yes you can, Gabi. I know you can. I know it hurts and I know that you want it to be over. But you can do this sweetheart" Maria said.

Troy rubbed Gabriella's back and kissed her neck softly. Dr. Brand came into the bathroom and smiled.

"How are you doing Gabriella?" Dr. Brand asked.

"So much pain" Gabriella mumbled.

"You still have the option of an epidural" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella shook her head.

"I don't want it" Gabriella said tiredly.

"I need to check you okay? Can you both step out for a minute?" Dr. Brand asked the mothers.

Lucille and Maria nodded and left the room.

"Just breathe babe. You are doing so well" Troy said softly.

Gabriella took a deep breath and sighed.

"Done?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Good job, Gabriella. I need to check you okay? Just relax" Dr. Brand said.

"Okay" Gabriella said softly.

Gabriella sat back against the tub and spread her legs apart. Troy held her hand and kissed her thumb. Dr. Brand put a plastic cover over her gloved hand and stuck it into the water and checked Gabriella. A couple moments later, Dr. Brand took her hand out of the water.

"You are at a five and a half" Dr. Brand said.

"Five and a half? I've been here for hours" Gabriella whined.

"Babe, it's going to take time" Troy said.

"I want her out" Gabriella cried.

"Gabriella, I know you are tired and I know that you just want the baby to be out, but Troy is right. It's going to take time. We can't just decide when she is going to come. She is going to come on her own. It's your first baby and it always takes a while for your first" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella sighed in frustration.

"Don't be upset, Gabs. You need your-" Troy started.

"Troy, when you have contractions every three minutes and then have to push a baby out of you then you can give your two cents but until then, stop" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Dr. Brand and then looked at Maria.

"Mom, can you take over for a little bit?" Troy asked.

"Sure sweetheart" Maria said.

Troy got out of the tub and dried himself off with a towel and walked out of the bathroom. Lucille followed him.

"Troy, she's tired" Lucille said.

"I know that and so am I. We've been here for hours, mom" Troy said.

"I understand that. But, it comes with the territory Troy. This is what having a baby is like" Lucille said.

Troy took a deep breath and released it.

"Go get some air and come back okay? We will be here" Lucille said.

Troy nodded. Lucille hugged her son. Troy left the room. An hour and a half later, Gabriella had been in labor for ten hours. Troy came back into the hospital room and he could hear Gabriella crying in the bathroom. He walked into the bathroom and saw her in the tub with a washcloth on her dark red face, breathing through a contraction.

"Did I miss something big?" Troy asked.

"Contractions...hurt...so..bad" Gabriella cried.

Troy looked at the mothers.

"What happened?" Troy asked.

"Contractions got really intense" Maria said.

"Did Dr. Brand come in?" Troy asked.

"She did. Gabi is at six and a half" Maria said.

"Has she gotten out of the tub?" Troy asked.

Maria shook her head.

"She said she is in too much pain" Lucille said.

Troy nodded. He walked over to the tub and kneeled down in front of Gabriella's head.

"Baby, how are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"It hurts so bad" Gabriella cried.

Troy nodded. He smoothed Gabriella's hair back.

"I feel like I have to go to the bathroom every contraction" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at their mothers.

"Is that normal?" Troy asked.

The two mothers nodded.

"That's a good sign" Lucille said.

Troy nodded. He looked back at Gabriella.

"I'm sorry I got mad at you earlier. It just-" Gabriella cried.

"Sh..it's okay. Don't worry about it Brie. I know it hurts baby. But you are doing so well and I am so proud of you" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I'm so so proud of you. You are going to give birth to our baby today, hopefully" Troy said.

Gabriella swallowed hard and nodded.

"Is it tomorrow yet?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled slightly.

"It's four in the morning baby girl" Troy said.

"I'm so tired, Troy" Gabriella cried.

"I know you are sweetheart. We just have to get through these last few centimeters and you can start pushing okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy smiled slightly. He kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

A couple hours later, Gabriella was still sitting in the tub. Troy was sitting in a chair next to the tub in the bathroom. Gabriella closed her eyes tightly.

"Troy" Gabriella cried.

"Contraction?" Troy asked.

"I don't think I'm six and a half anymore" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Gabriella confused but pressed the call button and Dr. Brand came into the room. She checked Gabriella and smiled.

"You are fully dilated Gabriella" Dr. Brand said.

Troy and Gabriella looked at each other nervously. Their daughter would be making her appearance shortly.


	17. I Didn't Think It Would Be This Hard

"Alright Maria and Lucille, are you going to stay in here or go into the waiting room?" Dr. Brand asked.

"Ask Gabriella" Maria said.

"Gabriella, do you want them to stay?" Dr. Brand asked.

"Go into the waiting room. I have Troy" Gabriella said tiredly.

"Okay. If you need us, come get us Troy" Maria said.

Troy nodded. Maria and Lucille kissed Gabriella's head softly. The two mothers walked out of the bathroom and closed the door behind them. They both had their ears pressed against the bathroom door. Inside the bathroom, Dr. Brand had her equipment set up and ready.

"Gabriella, on the next contraction, if you feel like you need to push, do it okay?" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella nodded. A couple moments later, Gabriella groaned.

"I need to push" Gabriella cried.

"Okay honey. Listen to me carefully. Take a deep breath and push" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and pushed. She cried as she pushed.

"Good Gabriella. That was a good one" Dr. Brand said as she pushed.

"Troy" Gabriella cried.

"I'm right here baby. You are doing so good" Troy said taking her hand in his.

Gabriella stopped pushing.

"Is it over?" Dr. Brand asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Alright take a big, deep breath and push" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella pushed hard and screamed. This went on for an hour and a half.

"Gabriella, one more push and the head will be out okay?" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella's face was dark red and she had a washcloth lying against her forehead. The mothers heard the update and became alert. Gabriella pushed one more time and screamed.

"Head's out Gabriella. Good work honey" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella looked at Troy, who smiled at her.

"You are doing so well, babe. I'm so proud of you" Troy said.

"I can't do it anymore" Gabriella said breathlessly.

"Take a break, Gabriella. It's alright" Dr. Brand said.

"I know that she's almost out. I just can't" Gabriella said softly.

Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"It's okay. She's almost here Brie" Troy said.

"You can touch her if you want" Dr. Brand said.

"Really?" Gabriella asked.

Dr. Brand took Gabriella's hand and brushed it against the baby's head.

"If you look down, you can see her too" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella looked down and cried.

"Oh my god" Gabriella cried.

Gabriella looked down at her daughter's head and tears ran down her cheeks.

"Okay, I'm ready" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Go ahead and push, Gabriella" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella pushed hard and squeezed her eyes shut.

"That was a good one. I think that was the best one yet. If you do two more of those, she will be out" Dr. Brand said.

"You can do this babe" Troy said.

Gabriella stopped pushing and tried to regain her breath.

"Take it easy. Take a deep breath and release it" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it.

"Can I push?" Gabriella asked.

"Go for it" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella pushed hard and felt the baby move farther out of her body.

"Gabriella, stop pushing for a second honey. I need to unwrap the cord for around her neck" Dr. Brand said.

"Troy, I need to push" Gabriella said painfully.

"I know you do. Dr. Brand has to unwrap the cord and then you can push" Troy said.

Dr. Brand unwrapped the cord and then looked at Gabriella.

"Alright, push one last time" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella pushed and felt the baby leave her body.

"Gabriella, reach down" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella reached down and pulled her daughter out of the water and onto her chest.

"Oh my god" Gabriella said.

"Oh my god" Troy echoed.

Gabriella started crying and looked at Troy, who also had tears in his eyes.

"We had a baby" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Troy, would you like to cut the cord?" Dr. Brand asked.

Troy nodded proudly. He cut the cord and looked at Gabriella and his newborn daughter.

"Gabriella, we need to have her get checked out by a pediatrician and we will also get you into bed" Dr. Brand explained.

"Alright" Gabriella said.

Gabriella put her daughter into Dr. Brand's arms and opened the bathroom door, where Maria and Lucille were waiting.

"Is she okay?" the mothers asked Dr. Brand.

"Why don't the two of you go and wait in the waiting room and let them get settled" Dr. Brand said.

The two mothers nodded and went to the waiting room. An hour later, Gabriella was freshly showered and lying in the hospital bed, holding her daughter.

"So we are still naming her Grace right?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Unless you want a different name" Gabriella said.

"No. I love the name. I just didn't know if you still liked it" Troy said.

"Hi Grace. I'm your mommy" Gabriella said softly.

"And I'm your daddy" Troy said softly.

"I can't believe I had her in the bathtub" Gabriella said incredulously.

"I know" Troy said.

"Do you want to hold her?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded and smiled. He opened his arms and Gabriella carefully placed Grace into them.

"Remember to support her head" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He looked at the baby girl in his arms and smiled.

"I'm your daddy, Grace" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. Troy placed a kissed on Grace's head.

"Is there going to be a nurse that helps us out with her until you are released?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"Our lives just changed" Troy said stating the obvious.

"For the better" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"Do you want to have our mothers come in or do you want to wait a little longer?" Troy asked.

"You can bring them in" Gabriella said.

"Alright" Troy said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy left the room and came back with their mothers.

"Oh Gabi, she's gorgeous" Maria said.

As soon as she heard that, Gabriella started crying. A cry that released all the emotions that had been built up for the last nine months. Troy carefully placed Grace into Maria's arms and then went over to Gabriella and let her cry into his chest. He rubbed her back soothingly.

"I know baby. I know" Troy said knowing that all the stress was releasing itself.

Lucille kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"I love you Gabi" Lucille said rubbing her back.

A couple minutes later, Gabriella's cries stopped and was replaced by sniffling. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Just a lot of emotions that were built up" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"You are parents. How do you feel?" Lucille asked.

"Tired" Gabriella said.

Everyone smiled.

"We will let you both get some rest. We will be back later" Maria said.

Gabriella nodded. The mothers kissed the couple and Grace and left the hospital.

"Why don't you get some sleep baby? You've been awake for twenty-fours straight" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Troy?" Gabriella asked.

Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Thanks for making me a mommy. Even though it happened earlier than we planned. It's one of the best things that has ever happened" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Thanks for making me a daddy. I love you Brie" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly, but passionately.

"Get some sleep okay? A nurse is supposed to come and take Grace to the nursery" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded and closed her eyes and fell asleep. A couple hours later, Gabriella woke up and looked around the hospital room. She smiled when she saw Troy lying on the chair that was next to the hospital bed, sleeping soundly. There was a knock on the door and Dr. Brand came into the room.

"Hi how are you feeling?" Dr. Brand asked.

"Kind of sore. Is that normal?" Gabriella asked.

Dr. Brand nodded and sat on the edge of the bed. She motioned to Troy.

"Looks like daddy is knocked out already" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella giggled and nodded.

"He stayed up with me for twenty-four hours. He deserves some sleep" Gabriella said.

Troy heard people talking and opened his eyes and saw Dr. Brand and Gabriella talking. Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled.

"Good morning" Gabriella said.

"Good morning" Troy said.

"Sleep a little bit?" Dr. Brand asked.

Troy nodded.

"I was just coming in to ask some questions about your plan" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Are you going to breastfeed?" Dr. Brand asked.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"I want to" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Can I check you out and make sure everything's okay?" Dr. Brand asked.

Gabriella nodded. She spread her legs apart. Dr. Brand put on a pair of gloves and looked at Gabriella.

"Just relax" Dr. Brand said.

Dr. Brand examined Gabriella, who groaned in pain.

"Really sore" Gabriella said.

Dr. Brand nodded.

"It will go away in a couple of days" Dr. Brand said.

"Everything okay?" Troy asked.

"Everything looks fine. Just rest okay?" Dr. Brand said.

Gabriella nodded. Dr. Brand left the room. Two days later, Gabriella was released from the hospital and settled at home with Grace. Troy had gone back to work but had promised Gabriella that he would take shorter shifts so that he could help with Grace. The night after Gabriella had come home, Troy walked into the house and smiled when he saw Gabriella lying on the couch with Grace in her arms.

"Hey" Troy said.

Gabriella looked up and smiled.

"Hey, how was the shop today?" Gabriella asked.

"Busy. How was Grace?" Troy asked.

"She was fine. Mom taught me how to use the breast pump so that I don't have to keep sitting here for an hour while she eats" Gabriella said.

"What does the pump do?" Troy asked.

"It will let us store milk in the bottles and have them in the bottles" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Does it hurt?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head. Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek softly.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"I'm kind of sore still but it's much better than when I first had her" Gabriella said.

"Good. I am going to take a shower and I will take over" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips softly. Troy walked upstairs and took a shower. Ten minutes later, Troy came downstairs and sat down on the couch. Gabriella placed Grace into Troy's arms.

"Why don't you get some rest Brie? You've been up all night and day with her. I have the day off tomorrow so I can stay up" Troy said.

"Troy, I need to feed her every two hours" Gabriella said.

"Didn't you just say that there were bottles in the refrigerator?" Troy asked.

"Yes, but I want to feed her" Gabriella protested.

"Babe, you are exhausted. You just had a baby. I will do it. Please let me" Troy said.

Gabriella gave in.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"You need sleep Brie" Troy said.

"I know. I just want to be able to take care of her" Gabriella said.

"The amount of time that you stay up doesn't say how much you can take care of her, baby. You need to make sure that you are taken care of before you can take care of her" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"Go take a nap. I will be on daddy duty" Troy said.

Gabriella walked upstairs and went to bed. Troy looked down at his sleeping newborn daughter and smiled. Maria opened the front door and smiled when he saw Troy holding Grace.

"How's she doing?" Maria asked.

"She's fine for right now. I just gave Brie a break" Troy said.

Maria nodded.

"She's been up all night and got up at five and has been up ever since" Troy said.

"Welcome to being a parent Troy" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"How was work today?" Maria asked.

"Exhausting. Between staying up till two and getting up at six, it's a lot" Troy said.

"When are you going to go back to school?" Maria asked.

"Next week. Brie doesn't want me to miss a lot of school" Troy said.

Maria nodded.

"Well, I will be here when I can and your mom already said she can help out too" Maria said.

Troy nodded. A week later, there was a knock on Jack Bolton's office door. He opened and smiled.

"Hey sweetheart" Jack said taking Grace carefully out of Gabriella's arms.

"She wanted to come and say hi grandpa Jack" Gabriella said.

Jack smiled.

"How's it going?" Jack asked.

"I'm exhausted. She gets up three times a night" Gabriella said.

Jack smiled.

"Welcome to parenthood" Jack said.

"I've heard that a lot lately" Gabriella said.

"How are you doing?" Jack asked softly.

Gabriella looked down at her hands and tears formed in her eyes.

"I didn't think it would be this hard" Gabriella said looking at her "second father".

Jack nodded.

"We are doing it. But, a baby changes everything" Gabriella said.

"I've never been more proud of you, Gabriella. I know that I was hard on you when you first told me you were pregnant. But, you both have grown up so much in the last year. So much. It's going to be hard but once you get the hang of it, then everything will fall into place" Jack said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I've been thinking about what my dad would have said and all I can think of is how disappointed I made him" Gabriella said starting to break down.

Jack carefully placed Grace in her car seat and buckled her in. He then moved over to Gabriella and hugged her tightly and rubbed her back as she cried. Troy walked by the office door and saw Gabriella. He stopped and walked into the office.

"Hey" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy with tears in her eyes.

"Hey" Gabriella said sniffling.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Dad, can you-" Troy started.

"I'm out of here. Come to practice when you are done" Jack said walking out of the office and closing the door behind him.

Troy kneeled down and unbuckled Grace from her seat and lifted her into his arms. He sat down in Jack's previous seat and looked at Gabriella.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Troy asked softly.

"It's just a lot to take in" Gabriella cried.

"I know it is. But, we are doing good so far right? We have everything under control. We just need a schedule. That's all" Troy said.

"We are seventeen" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Have you taken a nap today?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Nobody is home and I didn't want to fall asleep and not hear her if she cried. I'm not used to it yet" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I'll be home right after practice and then I have work after dinner. But, I will be home before you put her to bed" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy stood up with Grace in her arms and leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you Brie. We can do this. We just have to adjust" Troy said.

"I love you too. I didn't think it would be this hard" Gabriella said.

"I know. Go home and relax. I'm sure she will go right to sleep if you put her down in her crib. Mom did that a couple days ago and that's what happened" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips one last time.

Troy kissed Grace's head softly.

"Bye baby girl. I'll see you later. Daddy loves you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. Troy placed his daughter into her car seat and buckled her in. He then picked up the car seat and handed it to Gabriella.

"See you at home" Troy said.

"Bye" Gabriella said.

Gabriella left East High and went home. A couple hours later, Troy came home and smiled when he saw Gabriella with a bottle in her hand.

"Here, let me do it" Troy said holding his hand out.

Gabriella put the bottle into Troy's hand and watched him walk upstairs to the bedroom. Troy walked into the bedroom and picked Grace up and lied down on the bed and put the bottle to her mouth. He watched her eat her afternoon meal and smiled.

"Were you good for mommy? You need to give her a little break, sweetheart. She's still tired from having you" Troy said to his newborn daughter.

Gabriella leaned against the door frame and watched Troy feed their daughter.

"She likes when her daddy holds her" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"She's going to be a daddy's girl" Troy said.

The doorbell rang and Grace started crying.

"I'll get the door" Gabriella said.

Gabriella walked downstairs and went to the front door and opened it and was shocked to see the person standing on the other side.

"Hi Gabi" Taylor said.


	18. Nesting

Gabriella's mouth opened to speak, but nothing came out. Troy wondered what was taking Gabriella so long so he walked to the door and saw Taylor.

"Hi Tay" Troy said.

"Hi Troy. Gabs, can we talk please?" Taylor asked.

Gabriella took a deep breath and looked at Troy, who nodded. She then looked at Taylor and motioned for her to come in. The two women walked into the house.

"You had the baby?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah, a week ago" Gabriella said.

Gabriella opened her arms for Troy so he could place Grace into them.

"I'll let you ladies talk" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy walked upstairs. Taylor looked at Gabriella, who was holding Grace.

"She's beautiful" Taylor said.

"Thanks. What are you doing here? Are you going to tell me that I ruined my life some more?" Gabriella asked.

"Gabriella, listen to me" Taylor said.

"No, you listen Tay. You were my best friend. Best friends are the ones that are supposed to stick together through good times and bad, hard and easy situations. Instead of telling me that everything was going to be okay, you made me see all the things I was losing. Not giving me any sort of support. I was scared to death, Tay. I had Troy and our families to help, but I didn't have my best friend. A person my own age to talk to about this. And then you just show up a week after my daughter is born and pretend that everything is okay?! It's not okay, Tay" Gabriella said.

Taylor took a deep breath and released it.

"I know and I'm sorry for that. Gabi it was a shock-" Taylor started.

"It was a shock for Troy too, but he didn't leave nor say any of the things that you said to me. So don't talk about shock to me" Gabriella said.

Grace started crying and Gabriella silently cursed herself.

"It's okay baby. It's alright. You want to go see daddy?" Gabriella asked the newborn.

Gabriella walked away and went upstairs to the bedroom. Troy looked up and smiled slightly.

"Things aren't going well?" Troy assumed.

Gabriella shook her head. Troy opened his arms and placed Grace into them. He then leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. Gabriella then walked out of the bedroom and went downstairs to where Taylor was sitting.

"You are a good mom, Gabs" Taylor said.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"Thanks" Gabriella said.

"I know that you won't forgive me for this, but I want to try and move past it. Can we do that?" Taylor asked.

"I have a baby to think about Tay. Troy and I just went through a life changing experience and we had to grow up. I can't just go back and forth with people anymore. You are either in my life forever or you're not in my life" Gabriella said.

Taylor nodded.

"I just need some time to think about it okay?" Gabriella said.

"I understand" Taylor said.

Taylor left the house. Gabriella sighed and walked upstairs.

"Did she leave?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"So what happened?" Troy asked.

"She was kind of acting like I should just forgive her and forget this ever happened. I told her that it's not that easy and that there is now a baby involved and I don't want to have this back and forth type of thing going on" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Did you forgive her?" Troy asked.

"I told her that I need to think about Grace and that I need to think about us being friends again. It's not just a you and me situation. It's us and Grace" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"You grew up overnight" Troy said.

Gabriella shrugged.

"It's probably the hormones" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"But, I want what's best for our family and I don't want negativity around" Gabriella said.

"I understand. Think about what she said" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Grace started crying in Troy's arms. Troy looked at Grace and smiled.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Troy asked.

Gabriella picked her daughter up.

"She won't stop crying" Gabriella said.

"Babe, do you want me- "Troy started.

"No. I have it under control. Baby, what's the matter?" Gabriella asked the newborn.

Grace continued to cry. Gabriella tried to calm her down but nothing worked.

"Can you go get mom please?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded and left the room and returned with Maria.

"What's wrong?" Maria asked.

"She won't stop crying" Gabriella explained.

Maria took Grace out of Gabriella's arms and tried to calm her down. She then put her finger into her granddaughter's mouth and found the problem.

"She's hungry. Is there milk in the fridge?" Maria asked.

Troy walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator and saw that there were no bottles left. He walked back to the living room.

"There's no milk left" Troy said.

Gabriella panicked and looked at her mother.

"Alright, Gabi come with me upstairs. I'm going to teach you how to breastfeed" Maria said.

Gabriella looked at Troy and her eyes widened. Troy took a deep breath and released it. The two women walked upstairs and went into Maria's bedroom. Gabriella sat on her mother's bed.

"Alright, take one of your breasts out of your bra and under your shirt" Maria said.

Gabriella did as she was told. Maria then placed Grace into Gabriella's arms and positioned her. Gabriella looked down at her daughter. Tears ran down her cheeks and they didn't go unnoticed by her mother.

"Gabi, it's a bottle. It's okay" Maria said.

"It's just a lot of information all at once. I don't know if I can handle it" Gabriella said.

"Honey, you are doing just fine. Look, Grace is eating and content. You handled that very well. I know it's stressful, but you are doing a good job, Gabriella" Maria said.

Gabriella couldn't help but sob.

"I'm seventeen years old" Gabriella cried.

"I know. But, for a seventeen-year-old, you are doing really well with it" Maria said.

"It doesn't feel that way" Gabriella said tearfully.

"It's not going to at the beginning. But, once you get used to it, you will see" Maria said.

Gabriella looked at Grace and smiled slightly.

"It's okay to feel overwhelmed" Maria said.

Gabriella nodded. Grace pulled away from Gabriella.

"Now what do I do?" Gabriella asked.

"You pat her back until she burps" Maria said.

Gabriella watched Maria take Grace out of her arms and take a burp cloth and pat her back until she burped. Maria removed the burp cloth from her shoulder and looked at her granddaughter and smiled.

"All better" Maria said.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"Thanks mom" Gabriella said.

"If you need help, you can always ask. And if you need to talk to someone that has had a baby, you can always talk to me" Maria said.

Gabriella nodded. Maria kissed her daughter's cheek.

"Okay, I will take her downstairs to Troy and you go change your shirt" Maria said.

Gabriella nodded. Maria left the room with Grace. Gabriella took a deep breath and tears ran down her cheeks. There was a knock on the bedroom door.

"Babe, can I come in?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said tearfully.

Troy opened the door and smiled sympathetically at Gabriella. He closed the door and took Gabriella into his arms.

"I don't-"Gabriella started.

"I know. Let it out, Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella wrapped her arms around her boyfriend and cried. Ten minutes later, Gabriella pulled away and wiped her eyes.

"Thanks" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and sat on Maria's bed and patted a spot next to him. Gabriella sat next to Troy and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"It's okay to be overwhelmed. I know that you don't like it. But this isn't a homework assignment, babe. This is our daughter, a human life. We are going to know what to do some times and other times we aren't. That's what being a parent is all about. At the beginning it's going to be hard but once we get used to having her around, it will be easier. You just have to see what happens" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Mom taught me how to breastfeed" Gabriella said.

"How was that?" Troy asked.

"It felt weird, but it reminded me of when she was inside of me" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"It made me feel old" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"You aren't old. Come on, change your shirt" Troy said.

Gabriella changed her shirt and the couple walked downstairs. Troy smiled when he saw Grace sleeping in Maria's arms.

"She fell asleep right as I got downstairs" Maria said.

The couple sat on the couch in the living room. Gabriella leaned her head against Troy's chest and sighed.

"You okay Gabi?" Maria asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly. That night, the couple were sleeping and Grace woke up and started crying. Gabriella woke up and got up. She picked up Grace from her crib and carried her downstairs. Gabriella walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. She pulled down her shirt and held Grace up to her breast and watched her eat her evening meal. Ten minutes later, Troy came downstairs and sat next to Gabriella.

"Is she okay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, she's just hungry. I didn't pump any bottles so I had to breastfeed" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Are you okay?" Troy asked.

"I'm just tired" Gabriella said.

Gabriella looked down at Grace, who pulled away from her breast. But then threw up all over Gabriella.

"Great" Gabriella said sarcastically.

"It's okay. Give her to me" Troy said.

Gabriella placed Grace into Troy's arms. Troy unbuttoned Grace's pajamas and put them in the laundry room. Gabriella walked upstairs and changed her shirt. She walked downstairs and went into the kitchen and saw Grace crying in Troy's arms.

"Here, I can take her" Gabriella said opening her arms.

Troy placed Grace into Gabriella's arms.

"If she throws up, do we still have to get her to burp?" Gabriella asked.

"I don't think so. I think she threw up all of the milk" Troy said.

"Should I try and feed her again?" Gabriella asked.

"No. Just let her relax for right now. If you threw up, you wouldn't want to eat right after" Troy said.

"Did I let her eat too much?" Gabriella asked worriedly.

"No baby. Babies throw up for all kinds of reasons. Don't worry" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath.

"I'm going to go put her in some new pajamas" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. Gabriella walked upstairs. Five minutes later, Gabriella came downstairs with Grace, who was changed. Troy lifted her into his arms.

"Why do you want to give your mom a hard time today?" Troy asked the infant.

"Should we try and put her to bed?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded.

"I think she's going to fall asleep" Troy said looking down at his daughter.

The couple walked upstairs and put Grace down in her crib. They then got into bed. Tears ran down Gabriella's cheeks. She wasn't facing Troy and was glad that he couldn't see her cry. But she thought wrong when she felt Troy's arms snake around her waist.

"Gabriella, baby, it happens" Troy said softly.

"I just feel like I don't know what I am supposed to do in that type of situation. Mom was asleep and we didn't know what to do. Imagine when we have to be on our own" Gabriella said.

Troy turned Gabriella over to face him. He put his arm around her waist and brought her closer to him.

"We are going to be fine. Don't think about that right now. We have a lot to learn, yes. I agree with you. But she's only a week old, Brie. We can't be pros at this when she's only been alive for a couple of days" Troy said.

Gabriella swallowed hard.

"But when you do become a pro, you will become the freaky mom geek" Troy said.

Gabriella laughed. Troy kissed Gabriella's forehead softly.

"We just need to get the hang of it and everything will be fine, baby" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Get some sleep okay?" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

A couple weeks later, Troy came home from work and smiled when he saw Gabriella swaying back and forth with Grace in her arms. He walked over to them and kissed Gabriella's cheek.

"Happy Anniversary baby" Troy said.

Gabriella gasped.

"No it's not!" Gabriella said incredulously.

Troy chuckled.

"Yes sweetheart it is. Look at the date" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at her phone and her mouth fell open. She looked at Troy.

"I forgot our anniversary" Gabriella said.

"It's okay Brie" Troy said.

"No it's not. I forgot the most important day of the year" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"You have other things to worry about other than our anniversary. I was just saying it to say it" Troy said taking Grace out of Gabriella's arms.

Troy held his arms out and Gabriella placed Grace into them. Gabriella kissed Troy's lips softly.

"Happy anniversary" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Mom said that she will watch Grace tonight so we can go out" Troy said.

"I don't want to leave her" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Gabriella and knew that she was afraid to leave their daughter.

"Brie, baby, you are going to have to leave her at home at some point" Troy said.

"I have to be here to feed her" Gabriella said.

"Mom can do that. We have bottles in the fridge right?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Then you have nothing to worry about. She will be fine for a couple of hours with mom" Troy said.

Gabriella's eyes filled with tears.

"These hormones are killing me" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and placed Grace in her portable crib. He wrapped his arms around Gabriella, who cried into his chest. Maria walked into the house and looked at the couple confused.

"Mood swings" Troy mouthed.

Maria nodded and went upstairs. Troy continued to rub Gabriella's back. Ten minutes later, Gabriella looked up at Troy, who moved a stray hair away from her face and wiped her tears away.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"We don't have to go out- "Troy started.

"I want to. I'm just really hormonal right now, Troy. I just had a baby" Gabriella said.

"I know baby. I know. I just thought that maybe for a couple hours we could take a break from being mommy and daddy. I didn't mean to make you cry" Troy said.

"No, it's not your fault. I want to go out, Troy. But I'm nesting" Gabriella said.

"Nesting?" Troy asked.

"Yes. I want to be with Grace. It's not that I don't want to go out babe. It's just I want to be with the baby" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I understand. What if we go out after we put her to bed?" Troy asked.

"But, she may cry" Gabriella said.

"Mom can handle it" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"Fine, you win" Gabriella said.


	19. Home Sweet Home

The couple had put Grace to bed and went out for a little while. Maria agreed to watch Grace. After they returned home, the couple went to bed. In the middle of the night, Gabriella woke up sweating. She had had a nightmare. Gabriella got out of bed and walked downstairs to the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea. After it was ready, Gabriella sat down at the center island and sipped it.

"Baby?" Troy asked softly.

Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled slightly.

"What's got you up this late?" Troy asked sitting next to her.

"I had a nightmare and couldn't go back to sleep" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded and kissed her head softly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Troy asked.

"It's stupid" Gabriella said.

"Hey, nothing you dream, think, or say is stupid. Talk to me" Troy said softly.

"I had a nightmare about the birth" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"What about it?" Troy asked.

"It was like I experienced the whole thing again" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"In our situation it was kind of a traumatic thing to go through" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I just can't believe it happened" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Come on sweetheart. You need to get some sleep before-"Troy started but was then interrupted by a cry coming from upstairs.

Troy cursed under his breath. He walked quickly upstairs and picked up Grace.

"Hey baby girl. Let's check your diaper okay? I know you aren't hungry because you ate a couple hours ago" Troy said.

Troy checked his daughter's diaper and cringed. He changed it quickly and lifted her into his arms.

"All better" Troy said kissing Grace's head softly.

Gabriella came into the room and smiled when she saw Troy placing Grace back into her crib.

"Is she okay?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded.

"She needed to be changed" Troy said throwing the dirty diaper away.

"Oh" Gabriella said.

Troy walked into the bathroom and washed his hands. He then walked out of the bathroom and got back into bed. Gabriella got into bed and placed her head on Troy's chest.

"Go back to sleep baby. If you have a nightmare, wake me up" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

That afternoon, Troy had a game and Gabriella wanted to go. Troy had come home for a little while to make sure Gabriella and Grace were okay.

"Brie?" Troy called as he closed the door.

"Living room feeding Grace" Gabriella said.

Troy walked into the living room.

"Do you want to be alone?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"It's fine. You can stay" Gabriella said.

"I just wanted to come home for a little bit before the game" Troy said.

Today was the championship game and Troy was nervous. He had been doing drills in the gym for the last week.

"I have to get Grace ready" Gabriella said.

"For what?" Troy asked.

"To go to the game" Gabriella said.

"Babe, I don't think she should go. It's loud and she's going to be crying" Troy said.

"I want to go" Gabriella said.

"I know you do. But, mom is working late and my mom is going to be at the game. Who will watch her?" Troy asked.

Gabriella sighed.

"Troy" Gabriella whined.

"I know you want to baby and I want you to. But there is no one that can watch her" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"This is the biggest- "Gabriella started.

"I know Brie. I know. But, we need to make decisions that we don't agree with sometimes" Troy said.

"You go to school and you play basketball still, Troy. You lost nothing" Gabriella said.

"Gabriella, that's not true" Troy said.

"It is true. You go out all the time, Troy. While I am stuck here taking care of Grace all day because I have to feed her and do everything" Gabriella said.

Troy closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes and looked at his frustrated girlfriend.

"Let me call mom and see what her schedule is like today" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy called his mother and she had told him that she couldn't watch Grace today. He hung up the phone and sighed. Troy walked into the living room and looked at Gabriella.

"What did she say?" Gabriella asked.

"She can't watch her today Brie. She has a bunch of things that she needs to do" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it.

"Fine" Gabriella said.

"Babe, I- "Troy started.

"Don't Troy" Gabriella said

Gabriella walked upstairs with Grace in her arms and went into the bedroom and closed the door. Troy sighed. He walked upstairs and opened the bedroom door.

"Gabs" Troy started.

"I want to be left alone" Gabriella said.

"Gabs can you just- "Troy started.

"Stop trying to make it seem like it's okay. It's not okay and it will never be okay. There won't be other games because we messed up. But, in reality, it's just me who messed up because you go out and do what you normally do while I sit here with Grace. Don't try to make it seem like it's okay, Troy. It will never be okay" Gabriella said.

Troy stood in the doorway stunned at Gabriella's words. He swallowed hard and nodded. Troy closed the door and walked downstairs and left the house. He drove to school and parked his car in front of the gym. Troy got out of his car and walked into the gym and put his keys down. He took a deep breath and released it. Troy picked up a basketball that was on the ground and aimed and threw it into the hoop. What Gabriella had said really hit him hard. He never wanted her to feel the way she does about Grace and him. Troy was pulled out of his thoughts when Jack came into the gym from his office.

"You ready?" Jack asked.

Troy shook his head.

"What happened?" Jack asked.

"Gabs and I got into an argument about her coming to the game" Troy said.

"Why would that be a problem?" Jack inquired.

"Who will watch Grace? Gabriella sitting in the stands with Grace during the game will be brutal" Troy said.

Jack nodded.

"I want Brie to come. I do. But, we have a daughter to think about. I don't want Gabriella to deal with Grace when she is trying to be normal and go to my game" Troy said.

"It's a difficult thing. She sees you going about your normal day life and feels like she is responsible for Grace. She's still a kid. Just like you, Troy" Jack said.

Troy nodded.

"What should I do?" Troy asked.

"After the game, go home and talk to her" Jack said.

Troy nodded. An hour later, the game started. Troy was put in to play but didn't do his best. Jack blew his whistle and motioned for Troy to come back to the bench. Troy walked over to the bench and sat down. Jack kneeled in front of him.

"Look at me, Troy" Jack said.

Troy looked at his father.

"Whatever is going on with you and Gabriella, doesn't matter right now. It shouldn't overtake your life. You have a game that can make your future a lot brighter. Even if you don't intend to play in college. This is your last game at East High. Make it count" Jack said.

Troy nodded and went back into the game. An hour later, the wildcats had won the game. As soon as the game ended, he looked at his father, who nodded. Troy ran out of the gym and to his car. He drove home and parked his car in the driveway. Troy got out of the car and walked into the house. He went upstairs and smiled when he saw Gabriella in bed, feeding Grace.

"That's a beautiful sight" Troy said.

Gabriella looked up and smiled slightly.

"Babe, I know that you wanted to come to the game and I apologize for acting the way I was. We just have to think about Grace first. We can't just leave when we want. We have to find someone to watch her if we want to go out without her" Troy said.

"I understand. I just haven't been out of the house since we came home from the hospital. I just needed a break, you know?" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"If we can get someone to watch her, then you can come okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

"I could even watch her while you go out" Troy said.

Gabriella raised her eyebrow.

"You don't have boobs last time I checked" Gabriella said.

Troy smirked at Gabriella.

"You could pump a couple bottles and go out. You could go out with Kelsi or mom and just do something. I can stay here with her" Troy said looking at Grace.

"You would stay a couple hours alone with her?" Gabriella asked.

"I'm her dad, Brie. I can stay with her if you need a break" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Maybe tomorrow I can go out. I need to find some shirts that are easier to open when I have to feed her" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Then go to the mall tomorrow and shop for a couple hours. I have everything under control" Troy said.

"Are you sure?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure" Troy said.

"Alright" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. The next day, Troy came home from work and smiled when he saw Gabriella holding Grace.

"Hi baby girl. You and daddy are going to have some fun" Troy said carefully taking Grace out of Gabriella's arms.

"I just changed her" Gabriella said.

"Okay. Go and get out of here. I got everything under control" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"Bye. Love you. Call me if you need anything" Gabriella said.

"I love you too and I will be fine" Troy said.

Gabriella went to the mall with Kelsi, who had picked her up. The two girls shopped and went and got ice cream and sat down to finally talk.

"How's the baby?" Kelsi asked.

Gabriella smiled.

"She's good. Troy's on Grace duty for the first time alone" Gabriella said.

"Oh really? How are you doing? I can only imagine how you are feeling Gabs" Kelsi said.

"I have good days and bad. I am still adjusting to everything. The nighttime feedings and changing diapers…some days I wish I still got to go to school but then I realize if I did that, Grace wouldn't exist. And I don't ever wish that. She's one of the best things that has happened to me" Gabriella said.

Kelsi smiled.

"How's Troy doing with all of it?" Kelsi asked.

"He's really good with everything. He's juggling school, a job, Grace, and I. Some days I feel bad that he has to come home right after games and school to be with Grace. But, he loves her to death" Gabriella said.

"That's good though. He committed to you and the baby. Are you going to move in together?" Kelsi asked.

"We are already living together and it's been good. But, I think that we should start looking for a place of our own" Gabriella said.

"Doesn't your mom have that guest house in the backyard?" Kelsi asked.

Gabriella's eyes widened.

"Yes. Kelsi! You just gave me a great idea!" Gabriella said.

Kelsi giggled. The two girls talked for a little while longer until Gabriella needed to go home. Gabriella walked into the house and heard silence. She walked upstairs and smiled when she saw Troy rocking Grace to sleep. Troy placed Grace in her crib and looked up and smiled at Gabriella. The couple walked downstairs.

"How was Kelsi?" Troy asked.

"She's good. She gave me something to think about" Gabriella said.

"What?" Troy asked sitting on the couch.

"What if we moved into the guest house in the back? It would give us some privacy and we wouldn't have Grace waking mom up" Gabriella said.

"Would she charge us?" Troy asked.

"I don't think so. It would be better than having to find a place outside of this house. Plus, if we needed mom, she would be five feet away" Gabriella said.

"Ask mom about it. I like the idea. Plus, I wouldn't wake anyone up when I get home from work" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. That night, Maria came home from work and smiled when she saw Troy holding Grace in his arms.

"How's she doing?" Maria asked opening her arms.

Troy placed Grace into Maria's arms.

"She's fine. A little fussy today, but nothing major. How was work?" Troy asked.

"Fine. Busy. But, it was alright" Maria said.

"Mom, Brie and I wanted to talk to you about moving into the guest house. It would give you the house back and not have to deal with Grace screaming and crying at night" Troy said.

"Are you sure that you both are ready for that?" Maria asked.

"I mean, we've been living with each other for ten months" Troy said.

Maria nodded.

"And we are only five feet away from the house in case something went wrong" Troy added.

Maria nodded.

"I think that sounds fine. It's not like you are moving out of the house entirely" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"We really appreciate everything that you've done for us" Troy said.

Maria smiled.

"I'm your mom, Troy. It's my job to protect you both" Maria said.

Troy nodded. Grace started to cry.

"Hey, grandma is here. It's okay baby girl" Maria said gently swaying back and forth.

Grace's cries slowly stopped. Maria kissed her granddaughter's head softly.

"I can start moving stuff tomorrow" Troy said.

Maria nodded.

"Alright honey. Is Gabi asleep?" Maria asked.

"Yeah. I told her that I would be on daddy duty tonight so she could get some rest" Troy said.

"Okay" Maria said.

Maria went upstairs to bed. Troy looked at Grace, who was now back in his arms.

"Please stay asleep tonight baby. Mommy and daddy are really tired" Troy said.

Troy walked upstairs and put Grace to bed. He then got into bed and Gabriella opened her eyes.

"Are you just going to sleep?" Gabriella asked sleepily.

"Yeah baby. Go back to sleep" Troy said.

Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest and fell back asleep. The next morning, Gabriella woke up and saw that she was snuggling with a pillow and not Troy. She got up and walked downstairs and smiled when she saw Troy asleep on the couch with Grace laying on his chest, asleep as well. Gabriella kissed Troy's cheek softly and saw his eyes open slowly.

"Mm…I'm exhausted" Troy said mumbled.

Gabriella smiled sympathetically.

"She saved the worst for daddy" Troy said.

"At least she's asleep now" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded tiredly.

"How long have you been down here?" Gabriella asked quietly.

"Since two I think. Maybe one. Not completely sure" Troy said.

"Why don't you get some sleep upstairs and I will get her ready for the day?" Gabriella suggested.

"Okay" Troy mumbled.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"Good morning" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Morning. Go upstairs. After your nap, you can start moving stuff" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded and Gabriella carefully picked Grace up. Troy got off the couch and walked upstairs and fell asleep. Later that day, Troy walked downstairs and smiled when he saw Gabriella holding Grace.

"Hi babe" Troy said kissing Gabriella's cheek.

"Hi. Feel better?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah. How was she?" Troy asked.

"Fine. She had an explosion earlier" Gabriella said.

Troy made a disgusted face.

"I'm washing her sheets now" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed.

"Well at least that's one less thing we have to move right now" Troy said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"Let's start moving. Where's mom?" Troy asked taking Grace out of Gabriella's arms.

"I'm here. You both get everything in there. I will watch her" Maria said opening her arms.

Troy placed Grace into Maria's arms. The couple walked out to the backyard and went into the guest house and looked around.

"It actually is pretty big" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"We could paint if we wanted to later on" Troy said.

"This is just temporary right now" Gabriella said.

"I know. But, aren't we going to be here for a couple of years? When she's like three or four, I feel like this is going to be too small" Troy said.

Gabriella shrugged.

"I mean for right now, it's fine. Don't you think?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded.

"Yeah. In a couple years maybe, when we are stable, then we could find some place of our own" Troy said.

"I agree. But you like it?" Gabriella asked.

"I like it. If she's a baby, it's fine. But a toddler running around here, I feel like there isn't going to be enough room" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Let's start moving stuff in yeah?" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

The couple moved their belongings into the guest house.

"It's also a good thing that there is furniture in here already" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Home sweet home" Troy said.


	20. Passed With Flying Colors

That night, Gabriella came out of the bathroom and looked at Troy, who was dressing Grace in her pajamas. She smiled as she watched Troy try to change Grace.

"Need some help?" Gabriella asked.

"No. I just am trying to figure out where the legs and arms go" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She carefully put her daughter's arms in the right sleeves and then her legs. Gabriella zipped up the onesie and kissed Grace's head softly.

"Thanks" Troy said.

"No problem" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Grace's head softly.

"Good night baby girl. I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"My mom was telling me about the song that she and my dad used to sing to me. She said she would sing it to me when she would try and get me to go to sleep" Gabriella said.

"Are you going to sing it to Grace?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy smiled.

"I want to hear it" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She sat down on their bed and held Grace in her arms.

 _Goodnight to you._

 _Goodnight to me.  
_

 _Now close your eyes and go to sleep  
_

 _Goodnight  
_

 _Sleep tight  
_

 _Sweet dreams tonight_

 _Goodnight.  
_

 _I love you._

Gabriella kissed Grace's head and placed her in her crib and made sure that she was asleep. The couple walked out of the room. Troy smiled.

"I liked it" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Mom said that that song never failed to get me to go to sleep. I would cry when I heard it, but I would fall asleep fast" Gabriella said.

"Maybe it could be like a connection to your childhood and Grace's" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The couple sat in the living area of the guest house and looked at each other.

"Our first night in our own house" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. Gabriella leaned her head against Troy's chest.

"What are we going to do about school? We are supposed to graduate next year" Gabriella said.

"Well, what do you think we should do?" Troy asked.

"I'm breastfeeding and can't leave for multiple hours" Gabriella said.

"Maybe you could try and get your GED? I know you will pass it" Troy said.

"But that doesn't look good for college applications" Gabriella said.

"I know. But, we both can't go to school at the same time babe" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and sighed.

"I know. I just…this is frustrating" Gabriella said.

"I know it is. But, this is something that we need to discuss" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Can I still go to Stanford with that?" Gabriella asked.

"I have no idea. Maybe you could meet up with the college counselor and see what it's all about" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"It's just really stressful to think about all of this stuff" Gabriella said.

"I know it is baby. I know it is" Troy said.

"I'll call the counselor tomorrow and see when I can go in" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. The next day, Gabriella went to see the college counselor. She got out of the meeting, which didn't go as well as she would have hoped and went to sit and watch Troy in Ms. Darbus' class. After class had ended, Troy saw the look on Gabriella's face and knew that her meeting didn't go well. Troy walked over to Gabriella and sat down next to her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Troy asked.

"I worked so hard…" Gabriella started.

"I know you have Brie. This is just a bump in the road" Troy said.

"I have to start studying for my GED test" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded and kissed her head softly.

"Everything is going to be fine" Troy said.

"You get to graduate with our class, Troy. I don't" Gabriella said.

"But that shouldn't stop you. You need to do everything in your power to get what you want. If you want to graduate, get the GED. Maybe Mr. Matsui will let you walk with us" Troy said.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Come on, let's get out of here" Troy said.

The couple left the school and drove home. They walked into the house and smiled when they saw Grace sleeping in her portable crib.

"How was your meeting?" Maria asked quietly.

"Not good" Gabriella said.

"She said that Brie needs to get her GED. They won't let her continue school because she has missed so much" Troy said.

"But she did all her assignments and everything" Maria said.

"But they didn't give her any tests of any kind and that is what they are concerned about" Troy said.

Maria nodded.

"It's better than nothing Gabi" Maria said.

Gabriella scoffed and tears ran down her cheeks.

"Brie" Troy started.

"I worked so hard" Gabriella cried.

"We know you did, babe. That's not the point. The point is, you haven't been tested on any of the material that you learned while you have been home" Troy said softly.

"Can we not talk about this anymore?" Gabriella asked quietly.

Troy's face softened and nodded. Gabriella left the house and walked to the guest house.

"I wish there was something that I could do" Troy said.

Maria put her hand on Troy's shoulder.

"Just be there. That's all you can do. Like when she was pregnant, let her know that you are here if she needs to talk" Maria said.

Troy nodded. He walked into the living room and smiled when he saw Grace still sleeping. He walked to the guest house and went inside. Troy walked over to the bedroom door and knocked politely.

"Babe, can you open the door please?" Troy asked.

"I don't want to talk about it" Gabriella said through the door.

"I know you don't and I won't make you. But, locking yourself in our bedroom isn't going to solve the problem, Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella opened the door and looked at her boyfriend. Troy smiled slightly. He opened his arms and Gabriella walked into them. Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella and kissed her head softly.

"Everything will work itself out. Focus on getting your GED and then take the test. Once you take the test, then you will be done" Troy said.

"We won't finish school together" Gabriella said.

"I know we won't baby. But, as long as you finish, that's what matters right?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Then that's what you need to focus on okay? I want you to do this. But I can't make you do it. You have to choose to do it yourself" Troy said.

"I want to do it. I just wish that I was able to walk at graduation with everyone" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I understand. Just focus on getting the GED okay? If not for you, do it for Grace. She's the reason why you need to go to college" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

"Let me go see what our daughter wants this time" Troy said hearing Maria call them.

Gabriella nodded. Troy walked into the Maria's house. A couple weeks later, Troy came home from work and saw Grace lying in her portable crib and Gabriella, surrounded by study guides and GED workbooks. Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek softly.

"How's it going baby?" Troy asked.

"Good. It's just a lot of material" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"How long have you been working on this today?" Troy asked.

"Maybe like an hour. Pushing two. Grace went down for her nap and that's when I started studying but now that she's awake, it's getting harder to focus" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Do you want me to take her to mom's so you could study in silence?" Troy asked.

"Yes please. I would let her stay here, but I really need to study if I want to pass" Gabriella said.

"Okay. Don't worry about it, babe. If you want me to keep her with me, just let me know and I will" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy picked Grace up and kissed her cheek softly.

"Hi baby. Go back to sleep, okay? Daddy's got you" Troy said to the two month old.

Gabriella smiled. Troy walked out of the house with Grace. Two hours later, Gabriella fell back against the couch, tiredly. She had studied for two hours straight and needed a break. Gabriella walked into her mother's house and smiled when she saw Troy coming out of the bathroom with Grace.

"She had an explosion. But, I got it under control" Troy said.

"Did you wash her?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded.

"Yeah, I washed her and put a new diaper on and a new onesie" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She took Grace out of Troy's arms.

"How's the studying going?" Troy asked.

"It's fine. I am taking a break. I'm exhausted. It's a lot of information" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I think she's hungry though. She was biting my finger" Troy said.

"Oh, yeah. It is time to feed her" Gabriella said looking at her phone.

Troy placed Grace into Gabriella's arms.

"Do you want to be alone?" Troy asked.

"No, you are fine. I mean, if you aren't used to this by now then there is a serious problem" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"I just didn't know if you wanted privacy or not" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Thanks for asking though" Gabriella said.

Gabriella fed Grace and cleaned herself up. A couple weeks later, Troy drove to East High to pick Gabriella up. She had taken her GED test that day. Gabriella got into the car and leaned her head against the window as Troy started driving.

"How did it go?" Troy asked.

"I think I did fine" Gabriella said tiredly.

"I'm sure you passed with flying colors" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"How's my baby?" Gabriella asked.

"She's fine. She's sleeping at mom's right now. When do you find out if you passed or not?" Troy asked.

"Two weeks" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Don't worry about Brie. I'm sure you did fine" Troy said.

"I'm just nervous" Gabriella said.

"I know. But, there is no reason that you should be. You studied really hard for it" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The couple drove home and went into their house and relieved Maria. Gabriella closed the door after checking on Grace.

"Is she asleep?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

Two weeks later, Troy came home from work and picked up the mail on his way into the house. He looked through it and raised his eyebrow when he saw an envelope for Gabriella from school regarding her GED. He put the rest of the mail and took the envelope that held Gabriella's future and walked into the guest house.

"Babe?" Troy called.

"Living room" Gabriella said.

Troy walked into the living room and smiled when he saw Gabriella lying on the couch with Grace on her chest. He held up the envelope.

"Your future awaits" Troy said handing Gabriella the envelope.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it. She took the envelope from Troy and looked at it for a minute.

"I'm sure you passed Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella opened the letter and read it carefully. She then looked at another piece of paper that was attached to the letter. A smile crept onto Gabriella's face. She looked at Troy.

"So?" Troy asked slowly.

"Passed with flying colors" Gabriella said proudly.

Troy smiled. He kissed Gabriella's lips passionately.

"That's my girl! I knew you could do it baby. I'm so proud of you" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed in relief.

"Well that's one less thing to worry about" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Go tell mom the good news" Troy said.

"Is she home?" Gabriella asked.

"Her keys were on the table" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She walked out of the guest house and went into her mother's.

"Mom?" Gabriella called.

"Living room" Maria said.

Gabriella walked into the living room.

"I got my results from my GED" Gabriella said.

"Really?" Maria asked.

Gabriella nodded. She handed her mother the letter. Maria read the letter and the attached piece of paper. She smiled brightly.

"Congratulations, Gabi. I'm so proud of you" Maria said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Thanks. That's one thing I don't have to worry about" Gabriella said.

Maria nodded. Gabriella went back to the guest house and saw Troy bouncing Grace in his arms, who was crying, in hopes to soothe his daughter.

"What happened?" Gabriella asked.

"She just started crying. We just changed her and she ate an hour ago" Troy said.

"Come here baby" Gabriella said opening her arms.

Troy placed Grace into Gabriella's arms and she instantly stopped crying. Gabriella smiled.

"I guess she doesn't like me today" Troy said.

"Babe, she just needs her mommy right now" Gabriella said.

Gabriella looked down at Grace and smiled.

"Why are you giving daddy a hard time today baby?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled as he watched Gabriella interact with their daughter. He was so proud of her. She got pregnant, had to drop out of school and take her GED, she's the best mother to their child, and still has time for him. Gabriella was his superwoman. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's cheek softly.

"I'm so proud of you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Thank you baby" Gabriella said.

"I mean it Brie. You went through so much this past year and you never gave up" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"That means a lot to me. Everything that I went through was for us. We are a family" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and nodded. Two months later, Troy came home from work and smiled. Today Grace was four months old. He walked into the kitchen of Maria's house and smiled when he saw Grace sleeping in Gabriella's arms.

"She just fell asleep" Gabriella said hearing Troy walk in.

Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"Good. How was she today?" Troy asked.

"She was cranky. So I am glad that she finally tired herself out and fell asleep" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Sorry that I wasn't here earlier" Troy said.

"I got it under control" Gabriella said.

"So what did you do today?" Troy asked.

"I registered for classes at U of A" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"That's great baby" Troy said.

"They are all online" Gabriella said.

"Okay, but it's a start right? This is the first step" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The couple relaxed around the house. They were so happy that their lives were finally starting to level out and that having a baby young was hard but it could be possible if they did it together.


End file.
